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Disney+’s Percy Jackson and the Olympians series has been a smash for the streamer after the premiere episode amassed 26.2M views in its first three weeks on the streamer, and most of those people were just tuning in to see Jason Mantzoukas bully a pre-teen.

The first season is about to wrap up with episode eight on Disney+. At the end of episode seven, Percy and Grover reunite with Annabeth and must prepare to meet with Ares, God of War.

The final episode will be titled “The Prophecy Comes True” and is set to premiere on Tuesday, January 30th. Like previous episodes, the finale will drop at 9 pm ET. Even though this marks the end of season one, the people behind the scenes are confident that another season will be ordered.

Showrunner and co-creator Jon Steinberg explains that even though a second season hasn’t “been ordered yet,” he hopes that the reaction from the fans will help gain momentum for a second season. “I think everybody’s really focused on making sure that people have the reaction to the show that we’re hoping they will,” Steinberg told TVLine. “There are some people that spend their day thinking about what next season would look like, so hopefully, that work will become a little more official sooner than later.”

You can stream episodes one through 7 on Disney+ now.

Wireless Festival, one of the biggest rap and hip-hop-focused festivals in the world, announced the first wave of artists on its 2024 lineup, including headliners 21 Savage, Doja Cat, and Nicki Minaj. Other big names on the bill are Future, Ice Spice, J Hus, Asake, Rema, and Tyla, indicating a continued expansion into Afrobeats and other diaspora genres, while more local artists are likely to be included in the second round of announcements.

The festival is returning to Finsbury Park in London for its 18th iteration after moving there in 2023 and holding part of the festival there in 2022. The festival will run from July 12 to July 14, and tickets will go on sale beginning this Wednesday (January 31) at 10 am GMT. You can find more information here.

More acts will be announced in the near future and you can see the full lineup below.

Wireless Festival 2024 Lineup:

Friday, July 12
Nicki Minaj
Future
Ice Spice
Sean Paul
Vanessa Bling
Veeze
Ragz Originale
DJ Target
Remi Burgz

Saturday, July 13
21 Savage
J Hus
Asake
Gunna
Sexyy Red
Fridayy
Skillibeng
Byron Messia
Shallipopi
Strandz
Kenny Allstar
Seani B

Sunday, July 14
Doja Cat
Rema
Tyla
Digga D
Uncle Waffles
Ruger
Teezo Touchdown
Nadia Jae
Snoochie Shy

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

Taylor Swift is usually going viral for one reason or another, whether it’s for being the subject of political conspiracies, stealing the show at NFL games, or for dominating the stage on The Eras Tour. Recently, though, Swift got a lot of attention online for a reason that’s more upsetting.

Taylor Swift AI Image Controversy: What Happened

First, a bit of background. Starting in late 2022, AI technologies like ChatGPT took off in a big way, when they started getting widespread use at a consumer level. Other tools popped up from there, including some that could generate realistic-looking images.

Well, recently, some people (it’s not currently clear who) used AI-powered image utilities to create what looked like NSFW photographs of Swift nude and/or participating in explicit sexual acts. The images spread as they were shared on X (formerly Twitter) and they started to go viral on January 24.

As NBC News reports, the images racked up “over 27 million views and more than 260,000 likes in 19 hours before the account that posted the images was suspended.” The publication also notes, “The most viewed and shared deepfakes of Swift portrayed her nude in a football stadium,” in reference to her relationship with Travis Kelce and frequent presence at Kansas City Chiefs games.

X took an additional measure in an attempt to limit the exposure of the images: Currently, searching for “Taylor Swift” on X yields an error message and no results.

SAG-AFTRA shared a statement in support of Swift, saying in part, “The development and dissemination of fake images — especially those of a lewd nature — without someone’s consent must be made illegal. As a society, we have it in our power to control these technologies, but we must act now before it is too late.”

Taylor Swift AI Image Controversy: What’s Next

One reaction people had to this saga is to wonder about laws pertaining to this sort of use of AI technology. As Variety reports, at a White House press briefing on January 26, a reporter asked if President Joe Biden supported legislation banning pornographic, AI-generated images. White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre responded, “It is alarming. We are alarmed by the reports of the circulation of images that you just laid out… There should be legislation, obviously, to deal with this issue.”

The wheels are already in motion on that front: In 2023, New York Representative Joe Morelle introduced the Preventing Deepfakes of Intimate Images Act (per Variety). SAG-AFTRA Fran Drescher expressed her support at the time, saying, “Sexual abuse, whether occurring physically or digitally, should never be excused or permitted as ‘personal expression,’ and it should never be tolerated.”

Swift herself has yet to publicly address the situation, but it has been reported that she is considering legal action.

The NFL finally got Taylor Swift at the Super Bowl. All it took was Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce talking about a failed flirty friendship bracelet at The Eras Tour, which came across as “metal as hell” to Swift and led to them becoming the most-talked-about couple in the stratosphere since last September, and then the 11-6 Chiefs ripping off an incredible postseason run to return to the Super Bowl for the fourth time in five years.

Has Taylor Swift Ever Performed The Super Bowl Halftime Show?

Usher is performing this year, but Swift has stolen his thunder from the get-go. Usher was announced as the Apple Music Super Bowl LVIII Halftime Show on September 24, which was the same day that Swift attended her first-ever Chiefs game in Kansas City, Missouri, to support her then-rumored boyfriend (and now full-on lover), so everybody totally forgot about poor Usher’s big announcement.

Now, Swift will presumably be in attendance at Super Bowl LVIII to support Kelce and the Chiefs. While Usher will still get his 12-to-15 minutes in the limelight, the Swift discourse will be hot for the duration of the game.

The NFL has reportedly offered up the Super Bowl Halftime Show to Swift several times in the past, as per Business Insider, and if that is true, then she would have obviously said no every time because Swift has never performed at a Super Bowl halftime show.

You’ve no doubt felt the effects of inflation these past few years. It’s been with us since about mid-2021 and has dramatically raised the cost of goods. This isn’t a problem that’s specific to the United States either — this issue is being felt worldwide spurred in part by the pandemic, which has led to widespread price raises, as well as supply chain shortages, construction slowdowns, and ongoing wars and conflicts.

It’s been a tough time, is the point. Which is why we’re happy to give you this good news: things are looking up.

Does that mean you’re going to see more money in your bank account this year? Not necessarily, but the Federal Reserve has done a pretty good job at bringing down inflation and avoiding a U.S. economic recession. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics U.S. inflation as measured by the Consumer Price Index hit a sky-high 9.1%, the highest level since 1981. We felt that at the market, at the gas pump, on energy bills, and in the housing market — pretty much everywhere.

Flash forward to December 2023, and CNN Business reports that the CPI has dropped down to 3.1% and is on track to reach the Fed’s goal of 2% sometime in 2024. Hourly earnings are trending upwards, unemployment is below 4% (a historic achievement) and the Fed is… ~ cautiously ~ optimistic. But don’t break out the expensive champagne yet, just because things are trending in the right direction that doesn’t mean we are completely free from the effects of inflation.

So to help you get your finances in order and prepare for a more profitable year, we are here to break down where inflation is still hitting the hardest in 2024.

HOUSES

If you tried to buy a house in 2023, well… you probably didn’t end up doing it. According to Forbes, mortgage rates in 2023 were sky-high, hitting a peak of 7.79% in October, with the median home price above $400,000. Luckily, mortgage rates are trending downwards, The Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation, aka Freddie Mac, reports that as of January 25th, the 30-year fixed rate has settled at 6.69%.

That’s an over 1% decline from 2023’s peak but it’s still far from the pre-pandemic rate, when the mortgage rate was half of what it is today. So even though the housing market is looking healthier than the past few months, we’re still a long way away from where we were a few years ago.

So what does that mean for you?

You have two options. You can buy anyway, lock in your price in the event prices rise more, and refinance if/when mortgage rates are lower. Or you can save your money and wait it out hoping rates and prices will drop. If you have any outstanding debt, you should do the latter and make sure to bring that debt to $0 instead of dropping money on a down payment.

FOOD

According to the United States Department of Agriculture, food prices at home increased by 5.8% while food-away-from-home prices increased 7.1% in 2023. You probably felt that whether you were cruising the grocery aisles or eating out with friends. Luckily food prices are decelerating but the USDA still predicts an increase of 1.3% overall.

We’re looking at a decrease in at-home prices by 0.4% and an increase in food-away-from-home prices at 4.7%. That means if you want to spend less money on food than you did in 2023, you should probably spend more time at the grocery store than the drive-thru or eating out at a restaurant.

But a 0.4% decrease is probably something you’re not going to notice that much. So taking advantage of sales is your best bet here.

ENERGY

If your electric bill was killing you last year, we’ve got bad news — the U.S. Energy Information Administration says that average wholesale electricity prices for 2024 in most areas throughout the country will be close to or slightly lower than in 2023. States on the West Coast will be hit the hardest as California, Oregon, and Washington experience the highest natural gas fuel costs.

That means if you want to actively combat energy inflation you’re going to have to be as diligent as possible. When it comes to energy costs, every little bit counts.

Maybe it’s time to switch out your lights for LED bulbs, which the US Department of Energy says use 75% less energy than incandescent bulbs. Are you washing clothes with hot water? Stop, Energy Star says that heating up water consumes 90% of the energy it takes to operate your washing machine. And of course, watch your thermostat and use fans when you can. We know it can get unbearably hot in the summer but if you want to keep that energy bill low, keep the AC off as much as possible.

Fighting against inflation where you can is all about being smart and filtering your decisions through the knowledge of where costs are highest.

Late last year, Justin Timberlake was in the headlines because Britney Spears wrote some troubling allegations about their decades-old relationship in her memoir. To start this year, Timberlake made his musical return with “Selfish” and “Sanctified,” two singles he performed on the latest SNL, from the forthcoming Everything I Thought It Was, his first album since 2018, and now, Britney Spears is making headlines for reacting to Timberlake’s new music.

Yeah, it’s confusing. Let’s unpack it.

“I wanna apologize for some of the things I wrote about in my book,” Spears captioned an Instagram video of Timberlake appearing on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, as per Variety because Spears’ Instagram is now private. “If I offended any of the people I genuinely care about I am deeply sorry. I also wanted to say I am in love with Justin Timberlake’s new song ‘Selfish.’ It is soo good and how come every time I see Justin and Jimmy together I laugh so hard ??? Ps ‘Sanctified’ is wow too.”

In her memoir, The Woman In Me, Spears claimed the she was pregnant with Timberlake’s child before having an abortion, and that Timberlake cheated on her with another celebrity.

Timberlake has not publicly commented on anything from Spears’ memoir, though he did seemingly confirm all of it had been on his radar while performing in Las Vegas last month — saying “no disrespect” before singing “Cry Me A River,” his hit song long been associated with his split from Spears in the early 2000s.

Over the weekend, before Spears’ co-signed Timberlake’s new music, Britney Spears fans trolled Timberlake by sending Spears’ 2011 song, also titled “Selfish,” to No. 1 on iTunes.

The best part about Ghostbusters is that there will never be a shortage of ghosts to bust (people die every day!), so theoretically, we could have more Ghostbusters movies for decades to come. With Paul Rudd!

The latest installment in the Ghostbusters universe is Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire, a direct sequel to the surprisingly fun Ghostbusters: Afterlife which brought Paul Rudd aboard the Ectobmobile with a group of ghost-curious teens. The upcoming adventure will not only bring back your favorite ghosts, but the guys busting them look pretty familiar too. Here is everything we know so far about the upcoming sequel.

Plot

Ghostbusters: Afterlife took place over 30 years after the second Ghostbusters film and brought the Spengler family to a haunted farmhouse in rural Oklahoma. In Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire, the Spenglers head to the far-away land of New York City, where both generations of Ghostbusters unite against the bad guys and must stop the world from freezing over. Honestly, Ant-Man would have no chance here. Check out the official synopsis:

In Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire, the Spengler family returns to where it all started – the iconic New York City firehouse – to team up with the original Ghostbusters, who’ve developed a top-secret research lab to take busting ghosts to the next level. But when the discovery of an ancient artifact unleashes an evil force, Ghostbusters new and old must join forces to protect their home and save the world from a second Ice Age.

It seems like the film will continue to blend comedy and spooks, but actor Kumail Nanjani says that it’s heavy on the scary stuff. “There’s some really, genuinely scary stuff,” Nanjani confirmed last year. “The scary stuff is actually scary.”

Cast

There’s something for everyone here: the cast brings back Gen Z icons McKenna Grace and Finn Wolfhard alongside People’s Former Sexiest Man Alive Paul Rudd and Carrie Coon from Afterlife.

But the fun doesn’t stop there: the original Ghostbusters Ernie Hudson, Dan Akroyd, Annie Potts, and Bill Murray all returned for Frozen Empire because, honestly, who else are you gonna call? Kumail Nanjiani, Patton Oswalt, Celeste O’Connor, and Logan Kim also got calls, because they are also in the film.

Most importantly, the film was able to bring the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man back on the payroll, along with a dozen of his little monstrous marshmallow buddies.

Release Date

The film is set to hit theaters on March 22, 2024.

Trailer

The latest trailer gives us a glimpse of the gang as they reunite in the iconic firehouse and also allowed Bill Murray to say the line: “tall, dark and horny.” Check it out below.

Why can’t Republicans be normal about Taylor Swift?

Previously, MAGA-loving conservatives had a meltdown when the pop star started dating Travis Kelce after the Hall of Fame-bound Kansas City Chiefs tight end appeared in a Bud Light commercial and advocated for getting the COVID vaccine. They’re still angry about that, but now they’ve added conspiracy theories to the nuttiness.

Following Sunday’s AFC Championship game where the Chiefs beat the Baltimore Ravens to advance to the Super Bowl, conservative commentator Jack Posobiec wrote on X, “Thinking about when Taylor Swift called out the Soros family in 2019 for buying the rights to her music and then how she came out a super liberal in 2020.” Vivek Ramaswamy, the failed Republican presidential candidate who called his wife a “throat surgeon,” had quite the response. “I wonder who’s going to win the Super Bowl next month. And I wonder if there’s a major presidential endorsement coming from an artificially culturally propped-up couple this fall. Just some wild speculation over here, let’s see how it ages over the next 8 months,” he posted.

Wild is right. Leaving aside calling Swift and Kelce, who are at the peak of success and talent in their respective careers, “artificially culturally propped-up,” it’s unclear what the Chiefs in the Super Bowl has to do with Joe Biden.

The Boys star Erin Moriarty has been subjected to plenty of unsavory online treatment (over the years) due to certain corners of the internet aiming poison at her character, Starlight/Annie January. What Moriarty has dealt with goes far beyond occupational hazard, and she got frank in a new Instagram post, in which she stated, “You learn to become teflon and move on.”

Still, the current online ruckus grew to such a degree that Moriarty felt the need to address it, given that ex-Fox News host Megyn Kelly joined in with “disgustingly false” accusations that Moriarty indulged in plastic surgery. Granted, Kelly’s mini-rant arrived via her Sirius XM show, yet the Vought/Fox News comparison has been made on countless other occasions (and certainly by The Boys itself), so it’s not difficult to see how Moriarty accidentally assumed that was where Kelly made the remarks.

Additionally, the actress explained how the current photo in question (which has been removed from her Instagram) was the result of “major contouring,” which a makeup team had done after Moriarty had endured a difficult week, including a lack of sleep the night prior:

“You never know what someone is going through, social media is a platform that is not representative of a whole person, and irregardless there is no excuse for the words that have been spoken directly to me or about me. Shame on you Megyn Kelly. Shame on you, Fox News (vought incarnate). Implying that my photo is reflective of women being in a worse place is as false as my conviction in saying that if you resigned, you would be leaving women in a better place.”

Moriarty continued to call out Kelly for using a decade-old photo (for comparison’s sake) while labeling it as fairly new:

“Megyn used a photo taken ‘a year ago’ according to her, that had in actuality been taken about a decade ago before I was of LEGAL DRINKING AGE (I’m about to turn 30) as an example (maybe do some research that would take 30 seconds).”

Moriarty explained that she was indefinitely stepping away from social media and only leaving her Instagram account active for this statement. “We’re all subject to levels of bullying throughout our lives but I am horrified.” She then added, “This is becoming harassment. This is becoming false news.” You can watch Megyn Kelly’s accusations against Moriarty below.

One of Latin music’s most influential producers and songwriters is making history at the 2024 Grammy Awards. Edgar Barrera, who is a driving force in globalizing the música Mexicana genre, is nominated for Songwriter Of The Year. He is the first person to be up for that award for all Spanish-language songs. The Mexican-American maestro scored massive música Mexicana hits last year with Grupo Frontera, Bad Bunny, Shakira, and Karol G.

“I feel like I’m representing the whole Latino community because I’m the only Latin nominee in the general categories,” Barrera says about his nomination. “I feel honored and so blessed to be there.”

Barrera has worked as a songwriter since 2012. He was born in McAllen, Texas, but also grew up in Tamaulipas, Mexico. Living life on both sides of the US-Mexico border inspired him to bridge the gap between both worlds in his music. Throughout his career, Barrera has crafted hits in the tropical, reggaeton, and pop genres, including writing for Madonna, Ariana Grande, Selena Gomez, and Jennifer Lopez. But it’s Barrera’s work in música Mexicana that earned him the Songwriter of the Year nomination.

Barrera was instrumental in turning norteña-cumbia act Grupo Frontera into global superstars. Then, Bad Bunny jumped on the band’s genre-bending smash “Un x100to” last year. Shakira and Karol G later turned to Barrera to explore Mexican genres like corridos and Tejano music. In fact, pretty much any música Mexicana hit most likely has Barrera’s name in the credits. Over Zoom, he talked with Uproxx about the stories behind his hits, the importance of his Grammy nomination, and how he’s supporting the next generation of songwriters.

How do you feel to be nominated for Songwriter Of The Year at the 2024 Grammy Awards?

For me, it’s a big surprise because I never expected this nomination at the American Grammy Awards because all my songs are in Spanish. That makes me feel that the culture and the movement that we have going with Mexican music and Latin music is becoming more global every day.

I know you write music for all genres, but what does it mean for you to have helped push música Mexicana into the mainstream?

I’ve always been around música Mexicana since the very beginning. It’s not something that I just started doing months ago when this blew up. It’s been constant work and a long journey. I’ve been working with developing artists in the música Mexicana space even before this became global. The first música Mexicana song that went into the global charts and the Billboard Hot 100 chart was “Botella Tras Botella” by Christian Nodal in 2021. The song that came after that one was “Ya Supérame” by Grupo Firme, which I was also a part of. It’s been a process with artists like Nodal, Grupo Firme, and now Grupo Frontera. Now we have Peso Pluma and that’s making [global música Mexicana hits] something that is happening more often. I’m happy to be part of this whole journey since the very beginning.

Speaking of Grupo Frontera, you’re having big success with them. Why did you decide that you wanted to work closely with them?

The guys are from my hometown. They’re actually from McAllen, Texas. I was working a lot with a lot of artists around the world. I was working a lot with Colombian, Puerto Rican, and Venezuelan artists. I wanted to go back to my community and help out a local band from my hometown, try to put them on the map, and write for an artist that’s just like me. I just wanted to give back to my community and that’s how I launched [my record label] Borderkid and started working with Grupo Frontera.

Growing up going between Mexico and the US, would you say that influenced the way you make music?

Yes! 100 percent! I grew up listening to Mexican music and being at the border is like being in the middle of both worlds. I look at it as being in the middle of the pop world and the Mexican world. I’ve been trying to make música Mexicana sound the way I translate it and the way I see it – to do it differently. My music represents a lot of who I am and where I’m from.

How would you describe the experience of working with Bad Bunny on Grupo Frontera’s song “Un x100to”?

Working with Bad Bunny is always an amazing experience. It’s something that we never thought was even going to be possible. It just shows you that anything can be possible through music. We have Bad Bunny, who is the biggest artist in the world, working with a band that was just barely getting their name out there. Having one of the biggest songs of the year was just a blessing.

How did the song “Mi Ex Tenía Razón” come together with Karol G?

Karol is a big fan of Mexican music. She’s also a big fan of Selena. I went into the studio with her, she showed me her love for Selena’s music, and told me, “I want to do a song that kind of reminds everybody [of Selena] and give that nostalgia to my audience – to make them feel what we felt when we listened to Selena.” It was a really good experience with her, trying to find that sound, and relieve that energy.

Shakira did her first corridos song “El Jefe” with you and Fuerza Regida. What was the story behind that collaboration?

That was a whole different experience because Shakira wanted to try something out with new sounds. Going in with Shakira, who is an artist that is not afraid of trying new stuff, that was special. Having Shakira looking into our [Mexican] culture and wanting to be a part of it just makes our culture bigger.

In your songs, you often bring together artists and genres from different worlds. Why are those fusions important for the future of Latin music and música Mexicana?

It’s been very important. That’s another thing I was talking to Peso Pluma about yesterday while we were working. The way that we are doing stuff nowadays is that we’re open to working with everyone and that’s something that new generations are embracing. We’re not afraid of working with people that maybe don’t relate to our music or that don’t speak the same language. You wouldn’t see that in the música Mexicana space before. You would never see a collaboration. Not even between música Mexicana artists. There were always solo songs. We came with a different mentality and with this mentality, I feel that it’s helped everybody out. It’s making everything bigger and bigger.

Peso Pluma posted a photo of your writing session with him on Instagram. What can you tell us about what you’re working on with him?

The vibe was just amazing last night working with him and Chachito, who is an amazing writer from the corridos space. A lot of the comments were like, “Oh my God! Having Chachito, Peso, and Edgar in the same room is just going to be crazy.” People are excited. I’m excited and Peso is excited. He was very hyped and happy to have us there collaborating with each other.

What can we expect from you and your label Borderkid this year?

I’m expanding my label. I’m making new moves. I’m signing new artists and new writers. It’s also important for me to give opportunities to writers and producers to work with the artists that I’m surrounded with. I’m making the family bigger.

What do you want to achieve or accomplish next?

I just want to continue making music. I’ve never done music to try to win any awards. The awards come on their own. The awards are like the results of my hard work throughout the year. For me, it’s about making music that makes me feel good. Like yesterday, being there in the studio with Peso Pluma was great. Whatever else comes out of it is just extra.