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Before she joined the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Florence Pugh was an indie favorite. After she joined the Marvel Cinematic Universe, well, she’s still an indie favorite, but not everyone was thrilled that the star of Lady Macbeth and Midsommar was now making superhero movies.

“So many people in the indie film world were really pissed off at me,” Pugh told Time. “They were like, ‘Great, now she’s gone forever.’ And I’m like, no, I’m working as hard as I used to work. I’ve always done back-to-back movies. It’s just people are watching them now. You just have to be a bit more organized with your schedule.” Pugh has effectively balanced starring in blockbusters, like Oppenheimer and Dune: Part Two, with smaller projects, like The Wonder and A Good Person. Also, she voiced Goldilocks in Puss in Boots: The Last Wish, a shockingly good movie that everyone should see.

Besides, even the snobbiest Criterion Channel subscriber is probably excited for Dune: Part Two. “I needed people who have the necessary charisma,” director Denis Villeneuve said about the sequel to 2021’s Dune. “I think Florence, Zendaya, Timothée [Chalamet], and Austin [Butler], they will be the new power in Hollywood. These strong, charismatic figures will drag people back to the theater.” Indie theaters and multiplexes alike.

(Via Time)

The Weeknd and Sam Levinson’s HBO series The Idol had its debut at Cannes yesterday (May 22), and during a press conference, Levinson and Lily-Rose Depp addressed speculation that Depp’s character is directly based on Britney Spears.

“We’re not trying to tell a story about any particular pop star,” Levinson said. “We’re looking more at how the world perceives pop stars and the pressure it puts on that individual. And I think that that’s what… you know, it’s a lot of pressure, to constantly have to be on, and to be what everyone wishes you to be. It’s a lonely life. We can all pretend that everyone is looking out for someone’s best interests, but I think fame really corrupts, and I think it’s very easy to surround yourself with myth makers who just continue to prop up.”

Depp then reaffirmed Levinson’s answer, saying, “I think something we wanted to do with the character is make her feel simultaneously like a pop star of our time, but also like she existed in her own plane, in a way.”

In a recent interview with W Magazine, Depp said, “Of course I’m a Britney fan! Who doesn’t love Britney? But I was also thinking about Beyoncé, Mariah [Carey], and every huge pop star of our time. I wanted Jocelyn to be the kind of woman who can dominate a room, someone who doesn’t ever shy away from their sparkle.”

Spears, by the way, previously said she was working on something called The Idol and was later seen with Levinson and The Weeknd.

Last month, Jamie Foxx suffered a “medical complication.” His family hasn’t revealed what happened, but the Oscar-winning actor released a statement saying that he’s “feeling blessed,” and he’s already lined up a new TV show while in recovery. The status of his long-gestating Mike Tyson biopic is unknown, but the real Iron Mike may have revealed what happened to Foxx.

“He’s not feeling well. They said a stroke. I have no idea what happened to him,” Tyson said on the Valuetainment podcast. “Hey, listen, we can’t anticipate our next breath. We don’t know when we are gonna die. … After we leave, this bad stuff can happen.”

The actor, 55, has been treated at a facility in Chicago, which specializes in treatment for adults with “severe complex conditions” including stroke recovery… Jamie is understood to have arrived at the facility in late April and is “recovering well” after first getting treatment at a hospital in Atlanta. Shortly after Jamie’s “stroke,” sources claimed that he [was] “lucky to be alive.”

As for the biopic, which Foxx got ripped for, the boxer added, “I don’t know what’s going to happen now. But, you know, it’s a strong possibility. Because, you know, Jamie’s closer to my age, so in order to do him, they were going to do what they did with [the movie] Benjamin Button. They were going to make him look younger.”

(Via the Daily Mail)

At this point in the NBA Playoffs, many questions still remain. After the Denver Nuggets finished their sweep of the Los Angeles Lakers, who will they play in the Finals? Will LeBron James really retire after his playoff exit? Will the Miami Heat, who are currently up 3-0 against the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference Finals, complete a sweep of their own? Earl Sweatshirt has a different sort of basketball question on his mind at the moment, though.

Yesterday (May 22), the rapper tweeted, “all I ask is that one of you interviewers in this post season please ask jimmy wtf was on his mind when he did the fake dreds.” He added, “salute to the underdog of sorts but also we can’t just forget and forgive this easily.”

In case you missed it: Last summer, Miami’s Jimmy Butler debuted a new long-haired look, one that was very different from his usual style. He even wore it during Media Day, so his 2022-23 player photo on sites like Basketball-Reference features the hair, even though he didn’t end up sticking with the look for too long.

Earl’s question probably won’t come up any time soon for a couple reasons: It’s not exactly a timely topic anymore, and Butler has already answered it. Back in September, he told reporters, “I’m just messing with stuff to make the internet mad. That was my goal this summer and it worked.”

Earl Sweatshirt is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

After getting swept by the Denver Nuggets, the Los Angeles Lakers joined 26 other teams in beginning their offseason on Monday night. Like many teams that were bounced before the Finals, they have a number of decisions to make this summer, as they have just six players under contract for next season, but the biggest decision is one that’s out of their hands.

In his postgame press conference, LeBron James concluded his talk with the media by offering some cryptic remarks about his future, saying he has “a lot to think about” with regards to his basketball future. James is dealing with a foot injury that he opted against having surgery on to make the playoff run he did, and after 20 seasons and becoming the NBA’s all-time leading scorer, there is apparently some doubt creeping into his mind about whether he wants to continue his career, as Chris Haynes reported following Monday’s loss.

Lakers star LeBron James is uncertain if he’ll be with the team when the 2023-24 season starts in the fall, and retirement is under consideration, league sources tell Bleacher Report, TNT.

James also confirmed that retirement is a possibility to ESPN’s Dave McMenamin as he left the arena.

LeBron has gone on record dozens of times about his desire to play with Bronny, who just committed to go to USC next fall, and to do so, James would need to play two more years (which is the length remaining on his current Lakers contract). That’s why it is jarring to hear that retirement is under consideration, but then again, this is a 38-year-old coming off his 20th season and dealing with a foot injury.

He has climbed the mountain again and again, and after this latest effort and with the Lakers’ ability to build a contender around him at this point a bit murky, James is at least wondering if it’s worth coming back for another tyr.

Ed Sheeran is going to be quite the busy man this summer. But that was all by design. The “End Of Youth” singer is currently on his Mathematics Tour where each night he revisits his biggest hits to arenas full of endearing fans. Simultaneously, the entertainer is embarking on a much more intimate theatre showing.

As part of the Subtract Tour, which kicked off on May 19, the songwriter will focus much more closely on his latest album by the same name. While the setlist for his Mathematics Tour has already been shared by Uproxx here, his setlist for the smaller shows looks a lot different.

In a statement shared on Instagram, when explaining the decision to have two separate tours, Sheeran wrote, “I’m playing some smaller theatre shows in the US this summer, so I can play Subtract the entire way through with full band in an intimate setting.”

According to the Setlist.Fm, the musician did manage to sneak a few tracks off other albums into the show. View the full setlist for the Subtract Tour as well as the remaining tour dates below.

With Full Band

1. “Boat”
2. “Salt Water”
3. “Eyes Closed”
4. “Life Goes On”
5. “Dusty”
6. “End of Youth”
7. “Colourblind”
8. “Curtains”
9. “Borderline”
10. “Spark”
11. “Vega”
12. “Sycamore”
13. “No Strings”
14. “The Hills of Aberfeldy”

Solo

15. “The A Team”
16. “Shivers”
17. “Thinking Out Loud”
18. “Perfect”
19. “Bloodstream”
20. “Shape of You”
21. “Bad Habits”

Encore

22. “The Parting Glass”
23. “Afterglow”

05/26 — Atlanta, GA @ Tabernacle
06/02 — Philadelphia, PA @ The Met Philadelphia
06/16 — Toronto, ON @ HISTORY
06/29 — Boston, MA @ Boch Center Wang Theatre
07/14 — Royal Oak, MI @ Royal Oak Music Theatre
07/21 — Nashville, TN @ Ryman Auditorium
07/28 — Chicago, IL @ The Chicago Theatre
08/11 — Minneapolis, MN @ State Theatre
08/18 — Denver, CO @ Paramount Theatre
08/25 — Seattle, WA @ Paramount Theatre
09/01 — Vancouver, BC @ Queen Elizabeth Theatre
09/15 — Oakland, CA @ Fox Theater
09/22 — Los Angeles, CA @ Shrine Auditorium

— (Subtract) is out now via Asylum and Atlantic. Find more information here.

LeBron James was able to turn back the clock for the first half of Game 4, scoring 31 points in 24 minutes of action, leading L.A. to a 15-point lead going to the locker room. However, at 38, he could not continue attacking at that same level and, unfortunately for him, none of his Lakers teammates were able to pick up the slack on that end in the third quarter.

With L.A.’s offense stalled, the Nuggets outscored the Lakers 36-16 in the third to take a 5-point lead into the fourth, where Nikola Jokic and company were able to hold off every Lakers charge to get the win and finish off a sweep to reach the NBA Finals. After the game, LeBron heaped praise on Jokic, called the Nuggets the best team he’s faced in the playoffs since arriving in L.A., and closed his press conference by offering some cryptic remarks about his future.

James was asked to evaluate the season he had and talked about how, yeah it was nice to get to the conference finals with a first-year coach, but that at this point, all he’s playing for is championships so he can’t say this was a successful season. From there, he closed his time on the podium with a cliffhanger, saying “I don’t know. I’ve got a lot to think about to be honest. Just for me personally going forward with the game of basketball.”

This will, undoubtedly, be a leading topic on every morning show (and LeBron absolutely knows that), and for good reason. This is LeBron hinting at the idea that he could make some big career decisions, albeit what those are we don’t know. While he just watched his good friend retire in Carmelo Anthony, he has stated dozens of times that he’s not hanging them up until he gets to play with Bronny, which is at least two seasons away. While plenty will point to this being James possibly hinting at walking away, that seems highly unlikely given everything he’s said over the past few years.

However, this is a man who was told by numerous doctors to have foot surgery during the regular season and put it off to make this playoff run, so it’s possible he’ll look to do that this offseason and put himself on the shelf for a chunk of next season. Maybe he’s hinting that he’s not happy with the direction the Lakers are going. Maybe he’s just talking about his summer plans with the family. That’s why he’s as good as it gets at controlling the conversation, because this is compelling enough to get everyone talking and open-ended enough to ensure everyone can let their imaginations run wild.

LeBron James put forth an incredible effort in Game 4 against the Nuggets on Monday night, scoring 40 points (31 in the first half) with 10 rebounds and nine assists while playing all 48 minutes, but it was still not enough to get the Lakers a win in the series.

Nikola Jokic and company were just too good in all four games against a competitive, but ultimately outgunned Lakers team. Denver is now headed to the NBA Finals for the first time in franchise history, and after the game LeBron James had some high praise for the Nuggets and their superstar. James called the Nuggets the best team the Lakers have faced in the four years he and Anthony Davis have been together in L.A., and also spoke glowingly of Jokic’s game, particularly how even when you do everything right, sometimes it’s not enough.

James could only laugh and tip his cap to the two-time MVP for those stepback, one-legged threes that he made with upsetting regularity in the series, including a pair on Monday night — one in the first half to keep them within reach and one in the fourth quarter to push the lead out to six.

Those shots are simply demoralizing for the opposition, because there is nothing more you can do. They are 24 seconds of perfect defense that end in a three, and that’s a really hard pill to swallow, particularly against a team that creates so many good looks with the crispness of their offense. Still, LeBron knows the only thing you can do is laugh and hope that the next time the shot doesn’t fall.

Watching James talk about Jokic, you can see the respect he has for his abilities and intelligence on the basketball court. James would later say he didn’t think Jokic got enough credit for what he does mentally on the court, largely because most people don’t understand everything he does, “but I do…he’s special.”

Since finding viral success with their song “Racist, Sexist Boy,” punk rockers The Linda Lindas have not let go of their bubbling momentum. After receiving rave reviews from their debut Coachella performance and as they prepare to hit the road with Paramore, the band is giving fans something else to talk about.

The musicians partnered with director Ryan Baxley to explore their inquisitive minds by way of the official video for their single, “Too Many Things,” off the group’s debut album, Growing Up. Putting their kookiness on full display, the band imagines an alternative reality in which nothing is as it seems but it shockingly works out just fine.

While discussing the album with NPR, guitarists Bela Salazar and Lucia De la Garza shared their perspectives on the project.

“I feel like people are feeling those emotions and whoever is going to listen to that is going to feel like they’re not alone. We’re in different phases of our lives. We might be younger, but we still go through the same things,” remarked Salazar.

De la Garza chimed in to add, “Yeah, the album is called Growing Up, but that doesn’t mean it stops becoming relatable after growing up because there’s no after growing up, you know?”

Watch the full video above.

Growing Up is out now via Epitaph. Find more information here.

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

For the first time in franchise history, the Denver Nuggets are headed to the NBA Finals, completing a sweep of the Los Angeles Lakers in thrilling fashion on Monday night on the road.

It was a woeful first half for the Nuggets defensively, as they simply could not stop LeBron James, who set a career-high with 31 first half points, playing all 24 minutes. James finally got rolling from three (starting off with an accidental make on a lob attempt) and once he saw a few go in, he was simply unstoppable.

Denver scored the ball fine, but still found themselves down 15 as the Lakers piled up 73 first half points. However, they were not deterred and quickly erased that deficit by going on a 25-8 run to in the first 7:21 of the second half, led by a dynamic showing from Nikola Jokic. By the mid-third, Jokic had gotten himself to a triple-double, setting a new record for most triple-doubles in a single playoff, breaking a record held by Wilt Chamberlain for more than 50 years.

The Nuggets ultimately took a 5-point lead into the fourth quarter, crushing L.A. 36-16 as the Lakers simply could not manufacture offense without LeBron doing everything. While James never sat in the game, he did try to take the third quarter to be a table-setter rather than continue attacking, and no one else was able to step up in his stead to keep the Nuggets from reeling them in.

In the fourth quarter, the two teams went back-and-forth as, to L.A.’s credit, they never let the Nuggets run and put the game away. James became more assertive, they got an energy boost from Tristan Thompson of all people to start the quarter, Anthony Davis showed some signs of life, and they finally knocked down a three late (via Austin Reaves) after not making one for the first 20 minutes of the second half.

However, every time the Lakers would get the game back to tied, Denver had an answer, usually in the form of Jokic making a play. The shot of the night came on a Sombor Shuffle three over Anthony Davis as the shot clock hit zero to put Denver up six, as the two-time MVP flashed a bit of everything to carry the Nuggets home.

Los Angeles still managed to pull to within two late, as LeBron picked up a pair of charges on Jokic to get him to five fouls, which opened up space for he and Davis to attack. Davis would tie the game at 111-111 at the free throw line with just over a minute to play, but Jokic had a quick answer as he barreled his way to the rim through Davis and Dennis Schröder, finishing in traffic to push Denver back up by two.

The Lakers would have a pass knocked out of bounds with 4 seconds on the shot clock on their next possession, with LeBron hitting the side of the backboard on a desperation fadeaway on the ensuing inbounds. With just a three-second differential on the clock, L.A. opted to not foul and got bailed out by Jamal Murray going too quickly and missing a floater, giving them four seconds to find a game-winner or force overtime.

Murray made up for his lapse on the offensive end by coming up with the defensive play of the night, getting a hand on the ball as James went up, forcing him to double clutch and take a falling prayer that got blocked by Aaron Gordon, leading to a scramble as the final buzzer sounded.

It was an unbelievable effort by James, who finished with 40 points, 10 rebounds, and nine assists in 48 minutes of play. Unfortunately, he didn’t get the help he needed offensively from his co-star in Davis, who started 3-of-12 from the field before making his final three shots of the game to get to 21 points and 14 rebounds, or the supporting cast who combined to go 4-of-13 from three.

For Denver, it was a remarkable second half performance from a team that very easily could’ve packed it in and decided they’d try their luck at home in Game 5. Jokic finished the night with 30 points, 14 rebounds, and 13 assists, taking over in the second half, while Jamal Murray had 25 points and Aaron Gordon has his best night with 22 points in support. Now, Denver will enjoy a week off and wait to see if the Miami Heat can likewise polish off the Celtics in a sweep, or if that series will return to Boston for a Game 5.