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Victor Wembanyama won’t play in the All-Star Game itself on Sunday night, but he is still one of the featured attractions in Indianapolis this weekend. The Spurs young star is one of the NBA’s biggest draws because he’s as unique a player as we’ve seen come into the NBA, and fans want to get a glimpse of him and his incredibly unique skillset.

Wembanyama got his first taste of All-Star in the Rising Stars Game on Friday night before participating in the Skills Challenge on Saturday night. Ahead of that appearance at Lucas Oil Stadium, Wembanyama joined TNT’s crew for an interview with Ernie, Shaq, Kenny, and Chuck, and was asked about playing for Gregg Popovice. Wemby waxed poetic about the legendary coach, saying he’d long thought he was the best coach in the league before ever coming to the NBA.

He was also asked about Pop’s tough love approach and in detailing an early example of that, very casually dropped an F-bomb live on air that had the TNT crew in stitches.

The funniest part is that Wemby very clearly didn’t realize he even did it — or that he wasn’t supposed to. After realizing he apologized, with Ernie ensuring the young man that it was perfectly fine. Victor will learn how to do a little bit of self-censoring when delivering quotes on TV, but it’s a funny moment and a reminder that of just how new a lot of this is for the young star.

Each year, music’s biggest names come together to compete for high recognition at the Grammy Awards. But occasionally, entertainers can put aside their competitive spirits for the right cause. In January 1985, that moment came when Michael Jackson, Lionel Richie, Quincy Jones, and Michael Omartian set out to record “What Are The Word.”

The track pulled in several chart-topping musicians to lend their voices for charity. On February 16, during his appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live, Richie revealed that even though the moment was magical, he did have a few regrets that night, including not including Madonna in the fold. Despite Madonna’s superstar success at the time, the team opted for Cyndi Lauper instead.

Richie went on to explain the relation behind the decision. “We had only a half a line to sing,” he said. “So, we had to have voices that people knew right away. You had to have an identifiable voice… Cyndi had that.”

In the new Netflix documentary The Greatest Night In Pop, viewers can relive the moment as footage from the star-studded recording session outlines the meticulous work that went into recording the song.

Watch the full clip above.

The Greatest Night In Pop is exclusively streaming on Netflix. Find more information here.

Friday was not a good one for Donald Trump. The former president — who’s already on the hook for $83 million to E. Jean Carroll, who’s twice sued him for defamation over alleged sexual assault — was ordered to fork over another $354.9 million (plus inflation) as part of his civil fraud suit. (On top of that, he’s barred from doing business in New York, his home state, for three years.) You know what that means! Time to hit up his sometimes cash-strapped fans for some dough. But instead of a mere fundraising email (that may also double as a Valentine’s Day message to his wife), Trump is thinking outside the box: He’s selling gold shoes.

Per The Daily Beast, Trump showed up at Sneaker Con in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, a town it’s worth noting is not not very blue. He didn’t show up empty-handed; He’s hawking three kinds of Trump shoe: the red athletic “T-Red Wave” goes for $199, the white and gold athletic fit “POTUS 45” for $199, and the gold “Never Surrender High Top Sneaker” for $399.

According to the site selling the shoes, Trump isn’t the only one who will be benefitting monetarily. They’re the result of a licensing agreement with 45Footwear, which have been granted the use of his name, image, and likeness. The company is also not affiliated with his campaign.

The shoes are only on sale for three days.

That’s not all 45Footwear is selling. They also have two kinds of Trump fragrance: Victory 47 Cologne and Victory 47 Perfume.

How well will these do? Though they’re only available for a limited time, they still join a long line of Trump products, most of which have been miserable failures. Trump Sneakers and Trump Fragrances — those sound about as ridiculous as Trump Steaks, Trump Vodka, and, of course, the newly unearthed Trump Urine Tests.

(Via The Daily Beast)

INDIANAPOLIS — Jalen Brunson has steadily evolved over his career. From a solid backup to a starter and quality No. 2 with the Dallas Mavericks, Brunson has blossomed into an All-Star and the unquestioned leader of the New York Knicks.

Brunson’s play this season, averaging 27.6 points and 6.5 assists per game, has helped the Knicks take hold of the 4-seed in the East at the All-Star break, even with some significant absences due to injuries in recent weeks. After an active trade deadline, the Knicks are poised to be a real threat in the Eastern Conference once they get healthy, and their star guard (who has proven himself as a postseason performer) is a big reason why.

At his first All-Star weekend as a participant in Sunday’s game, Brunson is plenty busy — he’s also participating in Saturday night’s Starry Three-Point Contest. Ahead of that, Brunson sat down with Dime at NBA Crossover on Friday afternoon for a conversation about the Knicks, Villanova, the process of becoming a leader on the court and controlling the game as a point guard, the challenges of the Three-Point Contest, and his enjoyment of the most ubiquitous beverage in Indianapolis on All-Star Weekend.

I know there’s a lot going on for you this weekend, but what do you have going on with Starry here at Crossover and then obviously the Three-Point Shootout Saturday night?

I’m just excited to be partnering with Starry. Starry, it really hits different, I mean, it’s my go to lemon-lime soda — it’s crisp, it’s refreshing — and I’m just happy to be a part of it. I’m also happy to be participating in the Starry Three-Point Shootout and then obviously the All-Star Game, so it’s gonna be a big weekend.

How do you go about Three-Point Shootout prep? Like, what’s your process?

You just got to practice shooting off the rack. I think that’s the weirdest thing. And you don’t have time to sit there and hold your follow through and watch it go in, and then you gotta get back on defense. You’re just boom, boom. But, I think it’s cool. I think it’s a unique experience and it’s a different type of competition, but still competition at the end of the day.

Where’s your money ball rack placement?

Right corner, last rack.

Is that just so you know if you need it, you’ve got it?

For sure, yeah. I also think it’s just, the corner shot in the NBA is the easiest shot, it’s the closest. And then I think that’s one way to kind of get warm for that rack, so I think it’s pretty good.

Let’s talk a little Knicks. As you get ready for the second half of season, you got some new guys coming in that you’re working in like Bojan [Bogdanovic]. And then you’re also gonna get some of your guys that are hurt back hopefully soon. How important is the second half of the season in re-establishing that rhythm as you get ready for the postseason?

Yeah, I think it’s really important. Obviously, we want everyone back 100 percent. So I think for us, especially with the new guys we have coming in, Alec [Burks] has been with Thibs before, but with Bojan, making sure that he knows exactly what we’re doing on both sides of the ball. We just gotta be ready to go. We can’t lose sight of what’s at stake. We gotta have that same focus, that same mindset. And we’ll find a way. We’ll find a way to get better every single day. That’s just our goal.

As a point guard, what’s been your development in terms of learning the feel of how keeping your teammates involved keeping yourself going, that balance of attacking and facilitating? And what is the process as a young point guard in the NBA of learning that leadership role on the floor and of controlling the game.

So, it’s never ending. You kind of have to go with the flow. You can never just predetermine what you’re going to do or how things are going to play out during the game. And I think for me, I’m always trying to be aggressive to make plays, whether it’s from myself or for my teammates. So, find the ways to have the defense collapse where you can see openings for others or yourself.

So, it’s a healthy balance, but I think the most important part about it is always being in attack mode, whether it’s to shoot to score, make sure the defense is on its heels, and just giving your teammates confidence. Obviously, everyone assumes that getting assists kind of helps with getting your teammates involved, but I think giving them confidence and making sure that they know that they’re able to do the stuff that they do on a nightly basis is important. So, I try and do it as much as I can.

You’ve known Thibs for a long time.

Long time.

Do you have a favorite Thibs story from before you played for him that you look back on and just laugh about now that you play for him in the NBA?

Damn [laughs]. Favorite Thibs story before I played for him? It’s not really a story, but when people who see Thibs from afar think he’s a guy who just yells all the time and is always just basketball, basketball, basketball — which he is, 100 percent — but he’s a great dude off the court. So, he’s a great person to hold a conversation with and really get to know and he’s just … he’s a genuine dude.

Obviously you have a bunch of ‘Nova guys on the team. I wanted to know what you think it is about coming from Villanova and what Coach Wright especially had you guys doing that has allowed so many guys to come into league and have the success they’ve had so quickly, and in various roles? It seems like guys are able to come into the league and find their comfort level quickly, and I wondered if you think there’s specific reason for that?

I think Coach Wright preaches team first. So, team first and having the right attitude in whatever role you’re in. And I think at Villanova, we’ve all been in different roles throughout our time there. And so I think the most important thing to us is winning, and what can we do to win, and how can we approach each game with the right attitude and right mindset? And that’s been Coach Wright’s thing for the for the longest time, and it’s helped us get to where we are, and so he definitely is a major part in our success.

Last thing real fast: Who picks up the bill at dinner between you and Josh [Hart]?

[laughs] I would say me. I would say me. He owes me next time, though.

Donna Summer’s estate isn’t a fan of Kanye West. That much is clear from their recent statement regarding his unauthorized use of the late singer’s music. But one entertainer has their stamp of approval—Kelly Rowland.

For years, users online have pledged with the estate to case Rowland in a biopic about the late singer. Now, it appears as if that could be in the works. While attending the 2024 Grammys, Summer’s daughters, Mimi Sommer, Brooklyn Sudano, Amanda Sudano, and her late husband, Bruce Sudano, officially blessed the highly-requested project.

During an interview with XONecole, Bruce revealed that the family is open to the idea but has a minor tweak. “Yes, we’re interested, but our inclination is to do a limited series,” he said. “Because there is so much nuance and different phases of Donna’s life and career that would give us a little more latitude in telling her story. And connecting with people on a different level—not only on the music level but on the human level. That’s the road that we’re exploring now. As far as Kelly, we love Kelly. We’ll see!”

As for when this content is set to be revealed, supporters will need to hold out a bit longer, considering the award-winning documentary Love to Love You, Donna Summer only hit streaming platforms released last year.

It is safe to assume Rowland is on board with the creative shift. For Halloween 2019, Rowland paid homage to Summer as part of her glamourous costume for the evening. In February 2023, she gushed about the documentary online.

Also, during an appearance on Poer 105.1′ FM’s The Breakfast Club in November 2022, Rowland gleamed excitedly about the possibility of her stepping into Summer’s shoes. “Donna Summer has an illustrious life, and I think seeing it on screen would be so incredibly entertaining, mindblowing, and worth watching for anyone,” she said.

Watch the full clip of Donna Summer’s family above.

The “Taylor Swift economy boost” isn’t a joke but a proven metric. Throughout the North American leg of her The Eras Tour, each city along the way has reported drastic spikes in their local hospitality and culinary industries. Now, countries abroad are looking forward to the uptick when the “Lavender Haze” singer drops in for her international stops. Alas, it appears one nation in Southeastern Asia is looking to get a monopoly on those windfalls.

As stated by Sky News, during the iBusiness Forum 2024 in Bangkok, Thailand’s Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin alleged that Swift inked an exclusivity deal (between $2 million and $3 million per show), barring her from playing any other shows in the region.

Thavisin stated that following a meeting with an AEG promoter on February 12, that information was presented to him after inquiring about the potential of Swift playing a show in Thailand. “If I had known this, I would have brought the shows to Thailand,” he said. “Concerts can generate added value for the economy.”

He went on to argue the case in his keynote speech. “The Singapore government is astute,” he said. “If she came to Thailand, it would have been cheaper to organize it here, and I believe she would be able to attract more sponsors and tourists to Thailand. Even though we would have to subsidize at least 500m baht (or $13 million), it would be worth it.”

Back in 2014, Swift was set to make her concert debut in Thailand, but the show was canceled due to the political unrest at the time.

On Friday the world learned about the mysterious death of Aleksei Navalny, one of Vladimir Putin’s fiercest critics. For more than a decade, the activist and opposition leader had been one of the largest thorns in the side of the Russian president, enduring multiple arrests, even a near-fatal poisoning. His death immediately struck many as fishy, and after authorities belatedly provided an alleged cause of death, things only got fishier.

Per Reuters, Navalny’s mother, Lyudmila, said that she was told her son had died from what they called “sudden death syndrome.”

What is “sudden death syndrome”? Is it even a real medical term? It is, sort of. According to Medical News Today, it’s an “umbrella term for many biological scenarios leading to quick-onset and unforeseen mortality.” That could include a variety of cardiac syndromes that cause cardiac arrest or death.

And yet, given that Russian authorities had had a habit of jailing Navalny — he died in a penal colony in the Arctic — some weren’t exactly buying the alleged cause of death.

Some medical practitioners called BS on “sudden death syndrome.”

There were, of course, morbid jokes.

Navalny’s mother had braved Arctic temperatures to journey to the penal colony where her son had died. Though she was given the alleged cause of death, the body, she was told, had been moved to a nearby town. When she arrived there, she was told the morgue had been closed. Said morgue later claimed it did not have his body, whose whereabouts are currently unknown.

News of Navalny’s death came as tensions arise between the U.S. and Russia. The House, as lorded over by MAGA Speaker Mike Johnson, has been refusing to vote on a bill that included further funding for Ukraine, one that had been passed easily in the Senate. What’s more, fired Fox News star Tucker Carlson made a big deal out of a whirlwind trip to Moscow, which included a much-maligned sitdown with Putin that even Putin himself thought was a waste of time.

(Via Reuters)

There was never just one moment in my family when we “found out” that my dad was an addict.

I think I always knew, but I never saw him actually drinking. Usually, he downed a fifth of vodka before he came home from work or hid tiny bottles in the garage and bathroom cabinets.

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My name is Ashley, and I am the child of an addict. As a kid, I cried when our family dinner reservation shrunk from four to three after a man with glassy eyes stumbled through the door. I didn’t guzzle the vodka, but I felt the heartbreak of missed birthdays. I feel like I should weigh 500 pounds from all the “I’m sorry” chocolate donuts. I had to grow up quicker, but it made me into the person I am today.

I spent many years shouting into journals about why this was happening to me. But this is the thing that no one will tell you about loving someone who has an addiction: it will force you to see the world through different eyes.

Here are some things I’ve learned:

1. When your family’s yelling about burnt toast, they’re probably also yelling about something else.

My family yelled about everything — and nothing — to avoid the messy stuff. We all handled my dad’s addiction differently. My brother devoured sports. My mom took bubble baths. I slammed doors and slammed boyfriends for not understanding my family’s secrets.

Regardless of the preferred coping mechanism, everyone feels pain differently.

2. Your “knight in shining armor” can’t fix this.

Boyfriends became my great escape when I was young. But when I expected them to rescue me from the pain I grew up with, it never worked out. No matter how strapping they looked galloping in on those white horses, they couldn’t save me or fix anything.

In the end, I realized that I had to find healing on my own before I could build a strong relationship.

3. “Don’t tell anyone” is a normal phase.

When my dad punched holes in the wall, my mom covered them up with artwork. I wanted to rip the artwork down to expose all the holes, especially as a bratty teenager. But eventually I realized that it wasn’t my choice. My parents had bills to pay and jobs to keep. I’ve learned it’s common to cover up for dysfunction in your family, especially when it feels like the world expects perfection.

4. Friends probably won’t get it, but you’ll need them anyway.

Bulldozed by broken promises, I remember collapsing on a friend’s couch from the crippling pain of unmet expectations. I hyperventilated. Things felt uncontrollable and hopeless. My friend rubbed my back and just listened.

These are the kinds of friends I will keep forever, the ones who crawled down into the dark places with me and didn’t make me get back up until I was ready.

5. You can’t fix addiction, but you can help.

When I was a teenager, I called a family meeting. I started by playing a Switchfoot song: “This is your life. Are you who you want to be?”

Let’s skip to the punchline: It didn’t work.

It wasn’t just me. Nothing anyone did worked. My dad had to lose a lot — mostly himself — before he hit that place they call “rock bottom.” And, in all honesty, I hate that label because “rock bottom” isn’t just a one-and-done kind of place.

What can you do while you wait for someone to actually want to get help? Sometimes, you just wait. And you hope. And you pray. And you love. And you mostly just wait.

6. Recovery is awkward.

When a counselor gave me scripted lines to follow if my dad relapsed, I wanted to shred those “1-2-3 easy steps” into a million pieces.

For me, there was nothing easy about my dad’s recovery. My whole family had to learn steps to a new dance when my dad went into recovery. The healing dance felt like shuffling and awkwardly stepping on toes. It was uncomfortable; new words, like trust and respect, take time to sink in. And that awkwardness is also OK.

7. I still can’t talk about addiction in the past tense.

Nothing about an addict’s life happens linearly. I learned that early on. My dad cycled through 12-step programs again and again, to the point where I just wanted to hurl whenever anyone tried to talk about it. And then we finally reached a point where it felt like recovery stuck.

But even now, I’ll never say, “My dad used to deal with addiction.” My whole family continues to wrestle with the highs and lows of life with an addict every single day.

8. Happy hours and wedding receptions aren’t easy to attend.

My family will also probably never clink glasses of red wine or stock the fridge full of beer. I’m convinced happy hours and wedding receptions will get easier, but they might not. People get offended when my dad orders a Diet Coke instead of their fine whisky.

Plus, there’s the paranoia factor. Surrounded by flowing liquor, I hate watching my dad crawl out of his skin, tempted to look “normal” and tackle small talk with people we barely know. I’ve learned that this fear will probably last for a while, and it’s because I care.

9. If you close your eyes, the world doesn’t just “get prettier.”

With constant fear of the unknown, sometimes our world is not a pretty place. I remember watching the breaking news on 9/11 and feeling the terror of the planes crashing into the Twin Towers as if I was there.

My dad numbed the anxiety of these dark days with vodka, but this didn’t paint a prettier world for him when he woke up the next day. I’ve dealt with the fear of the unknown with the help of boys, booze, and bad dancing on pool tables. Life hurts for everyone, and I think we all have to decide how we’re going to handle the darkness.

10. Rip off the sign on your back that reads: “KICK ME. MY LIFE SUCKS.”

Sometimes I look in the mirror and I see only my broken journey. In some twisted way, I’m comforted by the dysfunction because it’s kept me company for so long. It’s easy to let the shadow of my family’s past follow me around and choose to drown in the darkness.

But every day, I’m learning to turn on the light. I have to write the next chapter in my recovery story, but I can’t climb that mountain with all this crap weighing me down.

11. It’s OK to forgive, too.

Some people have given me sucky advice about how I should write an anthem on daddy bashing, or how to hit the delete button on the things that shaped my story.

Instead, my dad and I are both learning to celebrate the little things, like the day that he could change my flat tire. On that day, I didn’t have to wonder if he was too drunk to come help me.

I can’t forget all the dark nights of my childhood.

But I’ve learned that for my own well-being, I can’t harbor bitterness until I explode.

Instead, I can love my dad, day by day, and learn to trust in the New Dad — the one with clearer eyes and a full heart. The one who rescues me when I call.

This article was written by Ashley Tieperman and originally appeared on 04.27.16

Last week, Uproxx cover star Paramore was named the ambassador of this year’s Record Store Day. But they’ve been using their fame to do more than make music. From blasting politicians to shedding light on behind-the-scenes industry atrocities, Paramore doesn’t mince their words. On February 15, House Republican Caucus Chair of Tennessee Jeremy Faison learned this hard way.

State officials were set to honor the band, from Tennsessee, with a resolution for their contributions to music. According to The Tennessean, Paramore has refused the honor in solidarity with musician Allison Russell. Initially Russell, was also set to receive an honor but the resolution was blocked at the last minute.

Williams expanded in a statement on their decision to turn away the honor. “Paramore will not accept any acknowledgment or honor from the TN House until Allison Russell is given the same recognition,” Williams wrote. “The blatant racism of our state leadership is embarrassing and cruel. Myself, as well as Paramore, will continue to encourage young people to show up to vote with equality in mind.”

Fans began questioning Representative Faison’s objection to Russell being honored, especially considering both Paramore and Russell had pulled in significant wins at the 2024 Grammys ceremony. In the eyes of Williams and others, race played a factor in his decision.

“For those that don’t know, Allison Russell is an incredibly talented musician and songwriter,” said Williams. “Her music spans genres with strong ties to the Folk/Americana scenes. You might have seen her on the Grammy stage performing with the great Joni Mitchell. Oh, she is also Black. She’s a brilliant Black woman.”

Allison Russell has not released a statement of her own. Instead, she reposted Williams’ statement on her official X (formerly Twitter) page in agreement.

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

If you built a time machine, journeyed back even two years, and told whoever you found that a movie based on Barbie, the beloved if sometimes controversial doll line, would Hoover up eight Oscar nominations, they wouldn’t believe you. And yet here we are. Greta Gerwig and her cowriter/now-husband Noah Baumbach thought way outside the box, and somehow Mattel and Warner Bros. let them put it on-screen (with some battles, of course). But while their screenplay is among those up for prizes, Gerwig missed out on Best Director (again) and star Margot Robbie was snubbed, too. Lots of people freaked out. One of the film’s supporting players did not.

That person is Helen Mirren, who is never seen on-screen, doing narrator duties instead. Entertainment Tonight caught up with her Thursday, asking her if she was also incensed that it didn’t get 10 Oscar noms. She was not.

“You can’t get upset about things like that, honestly,” Mirren said. “What is fantastic is that Barbie was the highest-grossing film that Warner Brothers has ever had in their lives and do you remember who won best film of the year before last?”

The answer to that, of course, is Everything Everywhere All at Once, which also took home a slew of other trophies, including for Michelle Yeoh and Ke Huy Quan. It also made a ton of money, if nowhere near the haul amassed by Barbie. Still, point taken.

Not that Mirren wouldn’t have minded Barbie getting even more AMPAS love.

“I mean, of course I would have loved to have seen Greta [be nominated], and I think she should win best [director]. It’s so difficult, it’s not a running race, you know, you can’t — Christopher Nolan’s work on Oppenheimer was spectacular, extraordinary. But for me, Greta’s work was so out there, it was so brave, it was something we’d never seen before,” she explained. “I just love the fact that the audience responded the way they did.”

It’s worth noting that both Gerwig and Robbie have seemed pretty chill about being left out. Both are nominated anyway, Gerwig for Adapted Screenplay, Robbie for Best Picture, since she’s one of the producers. But if Gerwig, who became the fifth woman ever to be nominated for Best Director (for Lady Bird), is snubbed a third time, then we riot.

The Oscars go down on March 10.

(Via ET)