The Golden Bachelor may be about older people finding love, but that doesn’t it’s more mature. During Thursday night’s episode, the show’s seasoned bachelor, Gerry Jordan, revealed that he is not above laughing at a good “69” joke. Although, the lion tattoo should’ve tipped everyone off that Gerry is a party animal. (OK, technically, the tattoo was about being awesome at business, but the point still stands.)
Anyway, the viral moment occurred as Gerry took 64-year-old fitness instructor Leslie Fhima on a more intimate date. The two repelled down a waterfall as old people so often do, and during a romantic dinner, Gerry told Leslie that he thinks “you’re the one.” That led to the two retiring to their suite where Leslie undoubtedly confirmed Gerry’s suspicions by deploying a well-timed “69” joke. That’s love right there, folks.
After the Fantasy Suite lights went out, Gerry turned up the heat. But first he turned down the heat, because he realized the Fantasy Suite’s thermostat was set to an outrageous 80 DEGREES! He thoughtfully asked Leslie if she liked the temperature set at 70 degrees, and though a simple yes or no response would have sufficed, Leslie’s personality beamed as she opted for a delightfully immature joke instead. Instead of setting the thermostat at 70, Leslie told Gerry to go for “69,” and the two lovebirds — reveling in their shared sense of humor and not missing a beat — giddily giggled together, reclaiming a new slice of their youth right before Bachelor Nation’s eyes. Nice.
The Golden Bachelor has been a viral hit, so naturally, folks on social media lost their minds at watching the elderly lovebirds giggle like school kids at the “69” joke. It was life-affirming.
The former president — and future roommate of Mussolini — shared an article about his lawyer Alina Habba from the bro-centric website on Truth Social. The headline: “In the Most Nonpartisan Way Possible, Let Me Say Trump’s Lawyer Alina Habba is the Kind of Attorney Who Can Fight My Battles Anytime.” There’s vague praise for the attorney (“But life comes at all of us at some point. And should the need ever arise, I’ll do whatever it takes to hire this Valkyrie”), but it’s mostly an excuse to embed posts from Habba’s Instagram account, including one where she’s bending over in a tight dress. It doesn’t take a “stable genius” to decipher why the blog appeals to Trump.
Donald Trump took a moment to celebrate his lawyer Thursday when he shared a Barstool Sports “article” that heaps praise on attorney Alina Habba — with a parade of photos of her in sexy poses… Readers are then treated to Habba popping open champagne with a saber on a golf course, practicing shooting skills at the gun range, drinking cocktails with friends, mimicking a showgirl’s pose at a fundraiser, and dancing.
Scary Hours 3 (or For All The Dogs: Scary Hours Edition, whichever you prefer), is the gift that keeps giving. Drake’s latest musical release is a goldmine of conversation starters. From the shoutout of other musicians (Taylor Swift) to the jabs at others (notable Joe Budden, Pusha T, and Kanye West), these fresh rounds of tracks will give fans something to talk about during holiday meals.
One track, “Wick Man,” stumped music listeners and sports watchers. After reading the lyrics aimed at Pusha T, Kanye West, and Black Americans, the songwriting credits are another discussion. Did Kevin De Bruyne co-write Drake’s “Wick Man” from Scary Hours 3? Although the professional soccer player joked about it online and has a standing business relationship with Jay-Z’s Roc Nation Sports International, the answer is no.
The K. De Bruyne listed alongside The Alchemist (real name Alan Maman) is Koen De Bruyne, not Kevin.
Who Is Koen De Bruyne?
Koen De Bruyne is the musician and producer behind the 1978 song “Landscape,” from which Drake’s “Wick Man” samples elements.
De Bruyne was a member of the jazz-funk group hailing from Belgium. Bruyne is credited on his brother Kris De Bruyne’s 1975 albums Amsterdam and ‘S Nachts Als Het Donker Is. It is unknown if Kevin, who also called Belgium home, is related to Koen. Kevin’s biography states his father’s name is Herwig De Bruyne. Could Koen be a distant cousin?
Listen to “Wick Man” above.
For All The Dogs Scary Hours Edition is out now via OVO/Republic. Find more information here.
That Drake sure is a rascal. We all know that a new Drake project usually means a new collection of slights against his critics, enemies — real or imagined, and any number of former paramours who’ve wronged him in some way. His latest release, For All The Dogs: Scary Hours Edition, is no different, bringing with it a slew of disses for former flames and current nemeses.
So, who does Drake diss on Scary Hours 3?
Well, in the song “Stories About My Brother,” Drake certainly responds to Joe Budden‘s lukewarm reception of the original For All The Dogs. “Imagine us gettin’ our validation from an ex-musician searchin’ for recognition,” he raps, which is most probably a reference to Budden’s former career as a rapper. Budden has since turned to being a volatile podcast host, slinging hot takes in the hopes of viral fame (to his credit and the chagrin of Budden haters everywhere, it mostly works).
Then, on “Wick Man,” Drake quotes Pusha T‘s 2018 diss track “The Story Of Adidon,” which effectively turned the audience against him in their beef at the time, but hasn’t seemed to do much for his rival’s fortunes since. “Man, I remember n****s was jokin’ ’bout some tick, tick / And now that rapper broke as f*ck / That boy a statistic.”
So, Drake’s streak of petty posturing continues. Since it doesn’t look like he’ll actually be taking that break anytime soon after announcing an extended tour with J. Cole, perhaps his targets will take the opportunity to fire back.
Billie Eilish was among those who turned up at Variety‘s Power Of Women event yesterday (November 16), and she had a vulnerable moment on stage that saw her get emotional.
Barbie star Ariana Greenblatt spoke about meeting Eilish and about how she has been a strong role model for young women (as Variety notes). Greenblatt’s words moved Eilish, who gave Greenblatt a hug. A sniffling Eilish then got behind the mic and noted, “Ariana… wah. Oh man, I was crying over there, girl. Guys, I’m on Prednisone. You ever taken that? No, for real. I’ve had no voice, Margot [Robbie], all week. […] Last time I was on it, I threw my phone and shattered a mirror, and this time, I be crying.”
She went on to say, “It’s really hard to be a woman out here, guys. It’s hard. […] I’ve never felt truly like a woman. I’ve spent a lot of my life not feeling like I fit in to being a woman. […] This sounds kind of f*cked up, but I have a lot of internalized misogyny inside of me, and I find it coming out in places I don’t want it to. And I have to say, with full transparency, I feel very grateful to be a woman right now. I feel very proud, and I feel very honored to be here.”
She and Finneas performed “What Was I Made For?” at the event, by the way, so check that out below.
Margot Robbie and her husband Tom Ackerley are co-founders of LuckyChap Entertainment, the production company behind I, Tonya, Promising Young Woman, and Saltburn. They normally have an equal say in matters, but on Thursday night, he literally had to say her words. Robbie lost her voice earlier this week, so she was unable to speak much at the Variety Power of Women dinner, so she made Ackerley read her speech — and confess her secret crush.
The Barbie star wrote that Ackerley and fellow LuckyChap co-founder Josey McNamara “use her as a bit of a crutch for these public-facing sort of things.” The Robbie-written speech continued:
“You’re right, Tom, we do,” McNamara continued. “And that’s not fair, just because she performs for a living it doesn’t mean that she doesn’t find public speaking just as terrifying as we do.” Ackerley added, “We know that, so I vow here and now, in front of all these people and Dua Lipa, who I have a secret crush on, to not leave all the speeches to Margot for now on.”
Dua Lipa, who earlier in the evening presented an award to the LuckyChap crew, provided a song to the Barbie soundtrack, “Dance the Night.” It’s up for Song of the Year at the 2024 Grammys. The only reason “I’m Just Ken” wasn’t nominated as well is because it’s the Song of the Decade.
You can watch Robbie’s speech-less speech below.
margot robbie lost her voice so she made her husband read her speech and tell the audience she has a secret crush on dua lipa pic.twitter.com/siEgZBV0Rg
In the Scary Hours Edition track, Drake appears to shoot his shot at the Grammy-winning Spanish singer Rosalía. “Next time I get in Rosalía face / I hope she tell her people that we need some space,” the perennial chart-topper raps. It’s a relatively harmless bar and will probably be fruitless, especially if the rumors are true about Rosalía perhaps getting cozy with The Bearactor Jeremy Allen White.
Things have gone about as poorly as they could for the Los Angeles Clippers over the last few weeks. While the team won their first game in the immediate aftermath of the James Harden trade, Los Angeles has been unable to get back in the win column ever since, as they’re on a six-game losing streak and have lost all five games in which Harden has appeared.
Everything just looks like a mess right now, and apparently, Russell Westbrook wants to do something to try in an effort to jumpstart things. According to Chris Haynes of Bleacher Report, Westbrook approached the Clippers and requested a move to a role off the bench, with Terance Mann moving into the starting lineup in his place.
Los Angeles Clippers star Russell Westbrook – the vocal leader of the team – has requested to come off bench to help the first unit establish some continuity, league sources tell @NBAonTNT, @BleacherReport. pic.twitter.com/mMNwzDZ9w0
B/R Sources: Los Angeles Clippers star Russell Westbrook approached coaching staff about coming off bench to help accelerate the winning process. Terance Mann to start tonight against Houston Rockets. https://t.co/4NK3L0mi17
It’s a move that makes a ton of sense, as Mann is the kind of player who does all the dirty work and fits really well alongside Harden, Kawhi Leonard, and Paul George. Westbrook, meanwhile, can now theoretically take ownership of the second unit and bring the sort of pace and energy that just doesn’t exist when more meticulous players like Harden and Leonard are on the floor and dominating the ball.
Westbrook has almost exclusively been a starter in his NBA career. His longest stint of being a bench player came during his tenure with the Los Angeles Lakers.
Earlier this week, Jimmy Kimmel did what he does best: Ruthlessly mocked Donald Trump for his latest blunder. In this particular case, Kimmel commented on the news that the former president’s social media platform, Truth Social, had reportedly lost $73 million. However, later reporting revealed that the platform has only lost $31.6 million.
Sensing a petty opportunity, Trump Media and Technology Group fired off a letter to Kimmel and ABC threatening to sue unless Kimmel issues a retraction and an apology. According to Newsweek, the late night comedian clearly isn’t concerned and proceeded to dunk on the legal threat.
“We talk a lot about Donald Trump here at the show in the same way paleontologists talk about apes, right? We’re studying him but it’s easy to forget sometimes that he actually sees this stuff,” Kimmel said during his monologue. “He’s obsessed with himself and with what people say about him and because of that we have somehow found ourselves once again in the wisp-thin crosshairs of our crazy ex-president and his compatriots.”
According to Kimmel, when he and his team prepared the Truth Social monologue for Tuesday night’s episode, “several credible sources were reporting Truth Social had lost $73 million.” That number turned out to be incorrect, so Kimmel made sure to correct the record in the most backhanded way possible.
“In other words [and] in fairness, Truth Social isn’t a colossal failure, it’s only an abysmal failure,” Kimmel said. “And I would like to do the right thing and congratulate our balloon animal former president and his company on only losing $31.6 million. For you that’s pretty good, that’s one of your best performances yet.”
“I have to say, demanding a retraction for reporting the value of his company incorrectly is pretty darn hilarious considering the fact he is on trial right now for reporting the value of his company incorrectly,” Kimmel joked. “Maybe he should sue himself.”
The late night host then gave Trump his apology, but you know the old saying: Be careful what you wish for.
“TMTG demanded an apology, so from the bottom of my heart, I want to say to Donald Trump and everyone at TMTG, I’m deeply sorry you’re so bad at running companies, I guess,” Kimmel said. “But doesn’t this guy have bigger things to worry about?”
It was exactly how I expected to find MJ Lenderman: Smiling backstage in a rock club with a beer in his hand. The lanky 24-year-old North Carolina native, whose lovably scruffy hangout album insta-classic Boat Songs was my favorite record of last year, was in Dublin earlier this month with the band Wednesday, for whom he moonlights as the guitar player. Later that night he was set to do double duty as Wednesday’s opener with a patchwork version of his backing group The Wind, effectively making his European debut as a solo act. And he was feeling jubilant.
“I wish the other guys were here,” he said with a goofy grin over Zoom, “but we’ll be back.”
When he hasn’t been on the road this year with Wednesday — who might have very well put out my favorite record of this year — Lenderman has been busy playing his own shows with The Wind. Their highest profile gig was this summer at the Pitchfork Music Festival, which was followed later that night with a more exclusive concert at Chicago’s Lincoln Hall. That show and another engagement at The Lodge Room in L.A. form the basis of a new live album out today, And The Wind (Live And Loose!), that functions as an ideal primer for Lenderman’s small but exceptional body of work.
While the bulk of Live And Loose! is made up of the slacked-up and witty country-rock tunes from Boat Songs, the most revelatory performances are of material that pre-date his indie fame, particularly the numbers from 2021’s Ghost Of Your Guitar Solo. Lenderman recorded that album by himself, and the songs are skeletal and rendered in bottom-of-the-barrel fidelity. On Live And Loose!, great tunes like “Catholic Priest” and “Someone Get The Grill Out Of The Rain” are transformed with extra layers of instrumental muscle, with Lenderman’s Crazy Horse-like band fleshing out their bones with sympathetic washes of lap steel and chunky guitars. Taken in tandem with the murderer’s row of stunners from Boat Songs — plus the fantastic recent single “Rudolph” — the revamped Guitar Solo tracks make Live And Loose! feel like something more important than a mere tour souvenir. It just might be Lenderman’s best effort yet, and the definitive document of this rising star’s 1.0 era.
After chatting about Live And Loose! a bit — as well as his next in-the-works album, which he says is only one song away from being finished — I asked Lenderman to count down his five favorite live albums. Which he did happily, though we ended up talking about more than five.
What makes a good live album?
I think it’s energy. A lot of energy goes into it. When I mean “energy,” I’m talking about, “Was the audience having fun? Was the band getting along?” Stuff like that. Because some of my favorite live albums are not necessarily played the best. The band’s not playing their instruments the best, or it’s not in tune. So I think it’s a lot of, “Does it sound fun? Do you wish you were there?” That kind of thing.
I noticed on your record that there’s barely any crowd noise. On some live records, there’s a lot of audience participation going on. Was that a conscious choice?
No. I think that was a combination of Alex Farrar doing a good job mixing, and maybe a considerate audience who doesn’t talk through the set. But I promise they applauded after the songs. [Laughs.] We only ended up taking two songs from Chicago at Lincoln Hall, because there was a guy standing right next to the only room mic and he was screaming along the entire show. And that room also was particularly dead. It sounded kind of like a studio. So The Lodge Room in L.A. ended up being better because there was some natural reverb in the room, and it sounded nice.
I think I need to hear the “screaming guy” version of this album.
This is the first I’m hearing about it. Hope the label doesn’t get in trouble.
OK, let’s talk about the records you picked. All great choices.
Drive-By Truckers, Alabama Ass Whuppin’
They were the first band that came to mind. They’re my favorite live band I’ve ever seen. I’ve seen them more than any other band, probably. That one is really cool because it’s just a four-piece, and that’s a version of the band that I’ll never be able to see. They’re playing songs only from the first two records and the Jim Carroll cover, and there’s a couple songs that didn’t even show up on other records. But, yeah, it’s super punk. It’s the punkest I’ve ever heard the Truckers. Just super straight-forward, two guitars and bass and drums. They’re talking about not being in tune. And you can hear that the room they’re in doesn’t seem very big at all. And you hear the bartender calling for last call. At the end of the record, somebody is trying to kick everybody out of the bar. They were really roughing it at that time, I think.
The thing about Alabama Ass Wuppin’ is that I feel like those are the best versions of those songs. And in a way I feel the same way about your live album. A lot of the songs are transformed.
It’s been funny to listen back to the live album. While we were mixing it and choosing the right takes, I was learning a lot about what my bandmates were doing, and it helped me. We sound a lot better now after going through those takes and me being like, “Oh, I didn’t know you were doing this, don’t do that.” [Laughs.] But I’m glad we have the recording of it, even the stuff that I don’t love. That includes myself, too. But I think the album versions are maybe the best.
The Band, Rock Of Ages
This one I picked because it’s the live album that I’ve listened to the most. My dad got a new car four or five years ago, right when I moved. And I got his minivan, and that album was already in the CD player in the car. It was what first got me into The Band, and it stayed in the CD player for probably two years straight. I’ve heard that one so many times. And it’s got the brass section on it.
I also wanted to bring up The Band’s Woodstock performance. I discovered that a couple of years ago, and that one’s way rawer. It’s one of the few live versions I’ve found of “Tears Of Rage,” which is one of my favorite songs.
I love that album. It’s on the box set for The Band’s self-titled LP.
I think they didn’t release it because they left Robbie’s mic on, and he’s singing on it, and it doesn’t sound good. [Laughs.]. But I love how that one sounds super raw, and knowing where their heads were at with that whole festival in general, and not wanting to be filmed. I’m really thankful that they released the recordings. “Loving You Is Sweeter Than Ever,” that track kills me.
Yeah! There’s a huge flub in that song between the first chorus and the second verse. They flip the beat on accident and start singing the verse in the wrong place, but then they catch it really quickly.
How do you feel about The Last Waltz?
I like the movie. Seeing them play is awesome, and seeing them play with Neil and all their guests is awesome. But it’s not really one that I like to put on that much. It’s too long and there’s too many blues jams, and I’m not as into that side of things. But I love hearing “Acadian Driftwood” live. There’s certain pockets of songs that I like from there. I should just go through and make a playlist of the good songs on there.
Neil Young, Roxy: Tonight’s The Night Live
For some reason that tour is the only tour where they didn’t record every single show. Or maybe they lost the tapes or something. Also I know that that era, although it was full of grief for friends who had died, it was the first time in a few years post-Time Fades Away where it sounded like he was actually having fun making music, and the people around him were having fun being around him. That whole era sounds just generally way more positive than what was before.
What’s striking to me about that era is that it’s known for being sloppy and drunken. But that live album is totally on point. There’s a method to the madness.
Down to his outfit. It was all part of it, even the drunkenness. So you want to wear sunglasses inside? And grow a shitty beard? I guess that’s part of it. It was a little bit dark. But it just sounds way more enjoyable than Time Fades Away or anything after that.
I was going to say Massey Hall as well, the solo one. That was one of the first ones I heard. But I also love Year Of The Horse and Way Down In The Rust Bucket.
I’ve been on a Year Of The Horse kick. I love that late ’90s era of Crazy Horse. They were jamming so much.
Yeah! Fucking Brad Cook showed me the song “Scattered” on there.
Amazing performance.
It’s so good. I love that one. I always soundcheck with it.
Pharoah Sanders, Live In Paris (1975)
When it came out in 2020, that was peak Covid time. I just found it one day and put it on, and I listened to it probably every day for three months straight. I would just throw on some headphones and paint with that on. It’s really a positive force of an album. Just the song titles: “Love Is Here,” “Love Is Everywhere,” all that stuff. It made me feel good listening to it. It gets kind of far out and free jazzy, but it’s also really grounded, with just really pretty songs.
You stretch out a fair amount on your live album. Is that something you would like to do more?
I like the idea of it. Hopefully someday we can be good about doing that, not having to talk about it too much and just fucking jam, as funny as that sounds. We were listening to a lot of Grateful Dead on that tour. John, my guitar player, is a huge Deadhead, and I guess he would go on the archives, figure out what day it was, and then pick a Dead show from that day in an earlier year. So I guess jamming was on the mind. We were listening to other jazz stuff in the car. I thought having that kind of stuff on in the van would somehow make the band better. But the jam between “Rudolph” and “Toon Town” that ended up on the record has actually been something that we’ve been molding since then, and it’s turned into its own song now. It’s definitely the most improv we have in the set, but it has developed its own form and barriers.
Townes Van Zandt, Live At The Old Quarter, Houston, Texas
That was my introduction to Townes, and it’s been a huge influence on the way I play the guitar. He outlines melodies and the bass at the same time and kind of mimics the vocal melodies, and I’ve picked that up and tried to do that. It just seems like it’s from another world.
I’m always blown away by how few people seem to be in the room as he’s playing these amazing songs. It’s like, “Here’s ‘Pancho and Lefty’!” and there’s crickets.
And they all probably know him and just don’t give a fuck.
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
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