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Taylor Swift’s recent dating rumors with The 1975’s lead singer Matty Healy are officially in full swing. After news broke in The Sun, Healy then popped up at all three of Swift’s Nashville shows, which initially seemed to cement the headlines. He then continued to show up for her at the three Philly concerts the following weekend.

Now, the pictures just keep rolling in. Yesterday, Healy was spotted both heading and leaving the pop star’s apartment. However, it was the nighttime pics that really had fans talking. They had been at some sort of star-studded gathering at Electric Lady Studios, which seems to have included Kendrick Lamar, Florence Welch, Jack Antonoff, Channing Tatum, Zoe Kravitz, and many more, as TMZ photos indicate.

Once it was over, Healy and Swift were photographed leaving together, marking their technical first public appearance as a suspected couple. (They had been spotted together holding hands at NYC’s Casa Cipriani days earlier, but it was a private members club, compared to being out and about.)

A new Twitter account dedicated to updating about the couple has also been having a blast with all their outings. “Matty’s letting her lead, walk out at her own pace with just a small touch on her back to show he’s still there. Sure beats being practically dragged into your car :),” they captioned, adding a little shade to Swift’s ex, Joe Alwyn.

Check out the video of Swift and Healy leaving together above.

When the Denver Nuggets and Los Angeles Lakers tip off for Tuesday night’s Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals, it’ll feature the top-ranked offense and top-ranked defense of the playoffs. Unsurprisingly, each side is shepherded by the foremost offensive talent of the playoffs (although, the race between Nikola Jokic and Devin Booker for this honor is a doozy). and foremost defender of the playoffs.

Through 11 games, two-time MVP Nikola Jokic has been sensational, averaging 30.7 points (62.6 percent true shooting), 12.8 rebounds, 9.7 assists, and 1.1 steals. His foe across the aisle, Anthony Davis, has terrorized the Memphis Grizzlies and Golden State Warriors with his defensive presence in the Lakers’ two series victories. Each offense will be haunted by the sight of Davis’ sprawling limbs influencing decision after decision with no obvious remedy available. He’s swatting 3.3 shots and inhaling 14.1 rebounds per game, both of which lead the playoffs. On field goals within 6 feet of the hoop, players are shooting 19.2 percent worse than their average when he’s the primary defender, per NBA.com.

Davis and the Lakers are the stingiest defense Denver has encountered and likely will encounter this postseason. Jokic and the Nuggets are the most prolific offense Los Angeles has encountered and likely will encounter this postseason. Framing this matchup as merely Jokic vs. Davis is disingenuous and inaccurate. NBA games are not played 1-on-1, regardless of discourse often devolving into that line of thinking, and scheming for someone as atypically brilliant as Jokic will always require a collective effort. I am nonetheless fascinated about how the two sides approach this angle of the series, both from the outset and as each game progresses.

The Lakers must first determine their opening lineup. In Game 6 on Friday, Dennis Schröder replaced Jarred Vanderbilt as the fifth starter. Los Angeles embraced more three-guard lineups over the course of that series to bolster the offense and head coach Darvin Ham fully leaned into the identity to close out the defending champs.

Starting Schröder against the Nuggets could be appealing for a few reasons. The quintet of Schröder-D’Angelo Russell-Austin Reaves-LeBron James-Davis puts Michael Porter Jr. in a very tough spot defensively. He’s Denver’s best low man to rotate on the backline, but still presents issues wiggling around screens and operating in space, even if he’s improved at the latter. That Lakers group leaves him to defend either James or a ball-handler who’s quite capable in pick-and-rolls. None of those sound like a spot Denver wants him to have to navigate.

Not only that, Schröder was excellent at chasing the Warriors’ shooters around screens and top-locking them with his speed, physicality, and flexibility. Porter is much taller than any of Golden State’s foremost snipers, but Schroder could still be a viable option. He could also wrangle with Jamal Murray, who had some issues with Landry Shamet’s pressure and physicality last round.

The potential downside is it almost assuredly means Davis is on Jokic, who could lure Davis away from the hoop in various facets and exploit Los Angeles’ lack of interior defenders beyond him. Jokic can pop on ball-screens, initiate from the elbows or dribble up the court, and drag dudes all over the floor with his off-ball movement. The Nuggets’ spacing might look pretty vast if this is the reality, particularly in contrast to the Warriors’ spacing landscape last round.

Instead, rolling with Vanderbilt may enable Davis to take Aaron Gordon and act as a roamer, while Vanderbilt tackles the Jokic assignment primarily and gets help from Davis and others. Kevin Durant consistently and aggressively helped off Gordon last round, which stalled Denver’s offense at times. Davis could employ a similar tactic and enjoy increased success because he’s a bigger, rangier, superior defender than Durant.

In general, Phoenix shrewdly played off of the Nuggets’ shakiest shooters, Gordon, Jeff Green, Christian Braun, and Bruce Brown. It didn’t always lead to preferred results since the Suns’ defensive personnel was quite limited. But I bet the Lakers’ took note of that gambit and intend to replicate it for better results, especially since Gordon, Braun, and Brown are so integral to Denver’s defensive ethos.

As Phoenix dialed up more pressure and denials of Murray last round, Jokic assumed a grander ball-handling role. Denver seamlessly let him cook the entire possession. Schroder, Reaves, and Lonnie Walker IV could do the same to Murray. Walker’s offensive contributions rightfully garnered headlines against Golden State, but his work winding around screens and denying passes defensively also popped.

This is where Los Angeles’ depth of viable two-way guards, something the Suns did not have, could prove to be a notable factor. Murray did not always endure Shamet’s feistiness well, yet Shamet seemed to wear down a bit physically by the end of the series. The Lakers can cycle through different primaries against Murray and aim to avoid that scenario.

If this manifests and Davis is guarding Jokic, I wonder about his strategy when Jokic pilots possessions. Does he sit back a bit and test Jokic as a shooter to dissuade cutting and slashing lanes? If he does, that might open up dribble handoffs for Murray, Porter, and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope. Does he try to disrupt Jokic’s handle and make use of his mobility by playing up tightly? If he does, that might leave him susceptible to Jokic’s funky, whirling driving game that highlights the strength discrepancy between them.

From the other perspective, Davis’ blend of size, mobility, and 7’6 wingspan could counter some of Jokic’s multifaceted, unorthodox shot-making. The Serbian big man thrives manufacturing little pockets of space to score off-balance and wield his ethereal touch. Davis might be the antidote, at least to an extent. I certainly don’t expect Jokic to melt down, though. He and the Nuggets have made clear the array of avenues through which he can produce.

That array of avenues is what renders Jokic such an arduous cover for everyone. Take away the post-ups or isolations, he’ll dash into a pick-and-roll or DHO with Murray, content to roll or pop and adept at both. Sell out against the pick-and-rolls and he’ll waddle through a series of off-ball picks to gauge the opponent’s screen navigation — most bigs aren’t fluent there. Pass those exams and he’ll just morph into Denver’s 6’11 point guard. If that’s not enough, he’ll ping pong offensive rebounds into his lap for second-chance points. His malleability is absurd and on prominent display these playoffs. He has a legitimate case as the NBA’s best passer and scorer.

Then, there’s Davis, a bastion of defensive malleability. Through two rounds, he’s played deep drop, soft drop, at the level of the screen, and switched effectively, not to mention the chaos he inflicts as a low man and roamer. Every time the Warriors adjusted to try and open their offense, Los Angeles readied to tweak Davis’ deployment. His adaptability of coverage was the primary reason the reigning champs were upended, not to mention Ja Morant’s struggles inside the arc in Round 1 (42.7 percent on two-pointers).

Now, these two teams and their divergent centerpieces clash with a Finals berth hanging in the balance, just as they did three seasons ago. The deciding factor for each might be whose versatility wins out more frequently and impactfully.

A new Post Malone era is here. After releasing “Chemical” in April, he revealed yesterday that he has a new album, Austin, coming this summer, as well as a single, “Mourning,” dropping this week. Now, he’s announced he’s bringing all this newness around North America with a tour this summer.

The trek, dubbed the If Y’all Weren’t Here I’d Be Crying tour, runs from early July to mid-August and includes stops in various major cities across the US and Canada.

Malone announced the tour on social media, writing, “i love y’all so very much, and I’m so excited to get out and do some more shows for y’all. help me put a baby through college, and come on out some cool new production, new songs, and a very very handsome man up on stage. sending love to you and yours.”

Find the list of dates below

07/08 — Noblesville, IN @ Ruoff Music Center
07/09 — Cincinnati, OH @ Riverbend Music Center
07/11 — Detroit, MI @ Pine Knob Music Theatre
07/12 — Burgettstown, PA @ The Pavilion at Star Lake
07/14 — St. Louis, MO @ Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre
07/15 — East Troy, WI @ Alpine Valley Music Theatre
07/17 — Buffalo, NY @ Darien Lake Amphitheater
07/19 — Toronto, ON @ Budweiser Stage
07/22 — Mansfield, MA @ Xfinity Center
07/23 — Hartford, CT @ XFINITY Theatre
07/25 — Camden, NJ @ Freedom Mortgage Pavilion
07/26 — Bristow, VA @ Jiffy Lube Live
07/29 — Charlotte, NC @ PNC Music Pavilion
07/31 — West Palm Beach, FL @ iTHINK Financial Amphitheatre
08/01 — Tampa, FL @ MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheatre
08/03 — Atlanta, GA @ Lakewood Amphitheatre
08/05 — Dallas, TX @ Dos Equis Pavilion
08/08 — Houston, TX @ The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion
08/10 — Albuquerque, NM @ Isleta Amphitheater
08/12 — Phoenix, AZ @ Talking Stick Resort Amphitheatre
08/13 — San Diego, CA @ North Island Credit Union Amphitheatre
08/15 — Wheatland, CA @ Toyota Amphitheatre
08/16 — Mountain View, CA @ Shoreline Amphitheatre
08/19 — San Bernardino, CA @ Glen Helen Amphitheater

Austin is out 7/28 via Mercury Records/Republic Records. Find more information here.

Not every brand associated with a rapper is automatically as successful as either party might hope, but one brand that’s been exceeding expectations for a while now is Jay-Z‘s Armand de Brignac champagne — also known as “Ace Of Spades.” The brand has been growing ever since Jay bought it in 2014, and demand continues to be so high that some folks are apparently going to extreme lengths to get their hands on it.

According to Billboard, two NYPD officers have been accused of trying to steal $2900 worth of bottles of Ace from last year’s Electric Zoo festival. Jonathan Gonzalez, 33, and Wojciech Czech, 44, are each charged with grand larceny in the fourth degree and criminal possession of stolen property in the fourth degree for taking two unopened, unattended bottles of champagne from the VIP tent in a backpack, while a third officer, Warren Golden, 31, observed but did not stop them. Golden has been charged with official misconduct, as has Gonzalez.

However, festival attendees noticed the theft and reported the three officers to festival security. After being confronted, the officers returned the stolen goods and went back to work, but by then the security guard had already notified a supervisor, who informed their commander.

In a statement, the NYPD said, “As a result of the continuing joint investigation with the Internal Affairs Bureau and the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office, two NYPD officers were arrested and subsequently suspended from duty today. The NYPD will continue to pursue the facts in this investigation and initiate further discipline where appropriate.”

Indie music has grown to include so much. It’s not just music that is released on independent labels but speaks to an aesthetic that deviates from the norm and follows its own weirdo heart. It can come in the form of rock music, pop, or folk. In a sense, it says as much about the people that are drawn to it as it does about the people that make it.

Every week, Uproxx is rounding up the best new indie music from the past seven days. This week we got new music from Miya Folick, Arlo Parks, Queens Of The Stone Age, Hot Mulligan, and more.

While we’re at it, sign up for our newsletter to get the best new indie music delivered directly to your inbox, every Monday.

Hot Mulligan — Why Would I Watch

It was clear when Hot Mulligan unleashed the fierce single “Shhhh! Golf Is On” that their new album Why Would I Watch would be a pop-punk masterpiece. The Lansing, Michigan group, despite their silly song titles, are more mature than most acts in the genre, focusing on an array of topics from the complexities of familial relationships to the intense grief of mortality.

Geese — “Mysterious Life”

“Bend me like the limbo, see my insides / This love is my only window, I will be the airbag,” Cameron Winter sings, opening the contemplative new Geese single “Mysterious Life.” The track is simultaneously a refreshing dose of the distinct weirdness of Geese, packed with playful riffs and catchy hooks.

Jean Dawson — ‘XCAPE’ PT. 1

Jean Dawson has a trilogy prepared. ‘XCAPE’ PT. 1 is a glitchy, disorienting glimpse into this world he’s building. “Youth+” is a post-punk collage of sound with Ian Curtis-like vocals; “Delusional World Champion” is even weirder. It’s an idiosyncratic anthem with an infectious beat and a perfect vibe for the summer.

Queens Of The Stone Age — “Emotional Sickness”

Queens Of The Stone Age are returning with a new album In Times New Roman… out in June. “Emotional Sickness” is the first taste, and it’s an unabashed rock anthem. Josh Homme’s lines are as visceral as ever: “Use once then destroy / Single servings of pain / A dose of emotion sickness / I just can’t shake / Then my fever broke.”

Local Natives — “NYE”

“NYE” is a wonderfully trippy new track from Local Natives. The distorted guitars and nostalgic vocals set the scene for the lyrics: “Tell me, tell me, tell me she said it’s all a blur / Catapult from the earth.” The song has the texture of a daydream and it comes from their new album, Time Will Wait For No One, arriving in July.

Arlo Parks, Phoebe Bridgers — “Pegasus”

My Soft Machine, the new album by Arlo Parks, arrives this summer. The singles have all been hypnotic, and “Pegasus” is another great preview of what’s to come. The Phoebe Bridgers collaboration glimmers and floats sweetly, and Parks’ vocals are as silky as ever, especially in harmony with the “Kyoto” singer.

Horse Jumper Of Love — “Singing By The Sink”

Horse Jumper Of Love are getting ready to share their new mini-LP Heartbreak Rules. The second single “Singing By The Sink” is as delicate and ruminative as the first. It serves as a collage of images, showcasing Dimitri Giannopoulos’s random observations: “The yuppie smokers / Only come out at night / While they’re walking their dogs / Images of luxury.”

Miya Folick — “Cockroach”

“Cockroach” is a sprawling Miya Folick track, a meditative sliver from her forthcoming record of the same title. The lead single “Get Out Of My House” bursted with relentless energy, whereas this new song delivers a softer side as she sings quietly: “Crush me, crush me.”

The Drums — “Plastic Envelope” & “Protect Him Always”

“Plastic Envelope” by The Drums reflects on a failed love: “I thought that I would die by your side / I thought that, baby, this was our life,” Jonny Pierce sings, disillusioned against soaring guitars and a contrastingly upbeat rhythm. It bleeds right into “Protect Him Always,” which is even more cinematic and compelling.

Beach Fossils — “Seconds”

The summer is the best time for new Beach Fossils. The breezy ambiance of their songs makes their music a sunlit oasis, and this single “Seconds” is no different. From their forthcoming LP Bunny, the song seems to stop time: “I get moving / When it’s over / I wish I could stay / All night,” Dustin Payseur sings.

Four months after his decision to leave the UFC, Francis Ngannou has signed with the PFL, the organization announced in a press release.

As predicted in January, Ngannou will take advantage of the PFL’s newly-formed Super Fight division, joining Jake Paul and Kayla Harrison as fighters who will earn at least 50 percent of the pay-per-view revenue in their MMA fights as part of the promotion, with bouts distributed by ESPN and the streaming service DAZN.

The former UFC heavyweight champion and the first African born heavyweight world champion in history has reportedly inked the most valuable MMA deal for a single fighter, with Ngannou serving in a leadership role on the PFL Global Advisory Board, representing fighters’ interests, and as an equity owner and chairman of PFL Africa, a pipeline for talent earning a pathway to the PFL Global season.

The deal follows Ngannou’s commitment to fighter equity and feeds his desire for a boxing match, which his contract allows for, per the NY Times.

“I am very excited for this game changing partnership with the Professional Fighters League to continue my MMA fighting career in the PFL’s PPV Super Fight Division,” said Ngannou, per the release. “I believe in the PFL’s “fighter first” culture and global vision including developing the sport in Africa. With that, I am also proud to announce that I will serve as Chairman of PFL Africa which will be the leading MMA organization on the continent providing great African fighters the opportunity to compete on a global platform.”

Ngannou is expected to make his PFL debut in 2024, with the expectation that he will participate in a crossover boxing match later this year.

He finished his UFC career with six consecutive victories, including a knockout of Stipe Miocic to claim the heavyweight crown.

Abel Tesfaye said that he plans to kill off his musical persona, The Weeknd, to venture into other creative realms. Of course, it doesn’t hurt to graciously bow out on top after becoming the first artist to cross 100 million monthly listeners on Spotify. However, despite the milestones he’s reached, there are still some accomplishments that even shocked him.

During an interview with Vanity Fair, the musician confessed that he was undoubtedly surprised by the success of one of his biggest songs. “I thought ‘Blinding Lights’ was gonna be a flop,” Tesfaye said.

Co-produced by Max Martin and Oscar Holter, “Blinding Lights” was the second single released off The Weeknd’s After Hours album. According to the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), the song is now certified diamond after selling 10 million copies.

With an unpredictable boost from TikTok, the entertainer is excited to see how the younger demographic has latched onto his work and the music he was inspired by.

“It’s a new generation of angsty teens discovering all the dark music like when I was 14,” he said. “Kurt Cobain, Wu-Tang, and all these songs that, as a kid, I probably shouldn’t be listening to, and 50 Cent. This f*cking dark and amazing escape.”

Only time will tell if The Weeknd truly retires from music.

Last week, Tucker Carlson made the surprise announcement that he will launch a new show on Twitter, which was entirely unexpected given the state of the platform since Elon Musk took over as CEO. Nevertheless, Carlson is aggressively making moves to launch a new version of his program on the social media site, but that’s one major hurdle in his way: Tucker is technically still a Fox News employee.

According to a new report, which floats the narrative that Carlson was pulled off the air because of an undisclosed verbal agreement with Dominion Voting Systems that clinched the settlement with Fox (Dominion denies such an agreement was made), Carlson wants to “quickly” get his now show on Twitter and has already brought in his Tucker Carlson Tonight senior producer Justin Wells. Filming is taking place inside Carlson’s home in Maine where he reportedly has a full studio.

As for dealing with Fox News, Carlson has retained some heavy-hitting legal counsel to get out of his employment contract.

Via Variety:

After learning that he was being sidelined on April 24, Carlson hired high-powered Hollywood attorney Bryan Freedman for the contract dispute. Freedman — whose other media clients include Don Lemon (ousted by CNN on the same day as the Carlson-Fox split), Megyn Kelly, Chris Cuomo and Tiffany Cross — is well known as the lawyer you retain when you are ready to go to war with a media giant. As such, Freedman sent a letter to Fox on May 9 saying Fox employees, including “Rupert Murdoch himself,” broke promises to Carlson “intentionally and with reckless disregard for the truth.” (A source says Fox has not yet responded to the letter.)

As Variety notes, Freedman is the same attorney who secured a $69 million pay out for Megyn Kelly after she was fired from NBC News. He also issued a notable warning to Fox News while speaking to Axios: “The idea that anyone is going to silence Tucker and prevent him from speaking to his audience is beyond preposterous.”

(Via Variety)

Rootin’ tootin’ Lauren Boebert was famously triggered when SNL parodied her gun-filled family Christmas photo. She, however, appeared to see humor in a t-shirt that referred to a gun as a “cordless hole puncher.” That didn’t go over well when mass shootings happen nearly every day in the U.S.

Still, Boebert persists. She previously tried to have the AR-15 named as the “national gun,” and now, she has introduced a new bill into Congress. Actually, that’s not entirely accurate. Boebert appears to have first introduced this bill last summer, and now, it’s back with even worse timing.

This is a fairly short bill, too. Boebert did recently propose much more time for lawmakers to read bills, but this one won’t swallow too much time. The bill can be viewed here, and it’s not the shortest bill in congressional history. That title may go to this 2017 doozy, which simply read, “The Environmental Protection Agency shall terminate on December 31, 2018.”

That bill did not succeed, obviously. Boebert is undoubtedly hoping to have more luck with the Shall Not Be Infringed Act. The whole purpose of the bill is to repeal the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, which was extensive in comparison, but many people would agree that it didn’t go far enough, given our current state of, you know, mass shootings. Here is the Boebert bill:

This bill repeals the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, which was signed into law on June 25, 2022. The act makes various changes to federal firearms laws, including to expand background check requirements, broaden the scope of existing restrictions, and establish new criminal offenses. The act also reauthorizes, funds, and supports various programs, grants, and activities to promote access to behavioral and mental health services, enhance school safety and security initiatives, and address gun violence in communities.

Effective as of the date of enactment of the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act (Public Law 117–159), such Act is repealed, and the provisions of law amended or repealed by such Act are restored or revived as if such Act had not been enacted.

So essentially, the bill wants to remove the tiniest bit of bipartisan cooperation that has passed on gun laws in recent years. The bill also appears to suggest beefing up security at schools because the right-wing wants to counter guns with more guns, I guess? The whole subject is so fraught, but we’ll see how far Boebert’s bill goes with this second introduction.

(Via Congress.gov)

The Weeknd (aka Abel Tesfaye) did a new interview with Vanity Fair, ahead of his upcoming HBO show, The Idol, premiering at Cannes this week. However, the series, which Tesfaye stars in, has encountered some controversy along the way.

A few months ago, Rolling Stone came out with an article that alleged it had gone “wildly, disgustingly off the rails.” Sources also claimed that there were tons of rewrites and reshoots from showrunner Sam Levinson (Euphoria) that turned it into “twisted torture porn.”

“It was like any rape fantasy that any toxic man would have in the show, and then the woman comes back for more because it makes her music better,” one source claimed.

Just a few hours after the piece gained traction, Tesfaye pushed back on social media, using a clip from The Idol where his character calls the publication irrelevant. During his Coachella appearance at Metro Boomin’s set, he skipped over the Rolling Stone lyric of “Heartless.” Now, he’s continuing to make his thoughts clear.

“I thought the article was ridiculous,” Tesfaye said in the Vanity Fair interview. “I wanted to give a ridiculous response to it.”

“I actually really loved working with Amy [Seimetz],” he added, touching upon a claim about tensions with Seimetz, who departed the show during the early production process, “and I’m sure she’s reading all this being like, ‘Why am I being thrown into this?’”

Tesfaye’s The Idol is set to begin airing on Max starting June 4.