Rachel McAdams gave us two iconic roles back in the early 2000s with “Mean Girls” and the “Notebook.” And though she went on to star in other movies, her career certainly didn’t follow the normal trajectory of other Hollywood “It” girls—featuring in blockbuster after blockbuster until the well runs dry. In fact, there’s a cumulative two years where the actress didn’t appear in anything.
According to McAdams, this break was a form of self-care.
In a recent interview with Bustle, McAdams revealed that somewhat overnight success quickly forced her to evaluate her personal boundaries, recalling a Vanity Fair photoshoot in which she ultimately walked out after learning that she was expected to pose nude.
From that moment, the A-lister decided to move away from the spotlight, literally. She went back home to Canada to focus on raising her family, turning down major roles in films like “The Devil Wears Prada,” “Casino Royale,” “Mission: Impossible III,” “Iron Man” and “Get Smart.”
Of course, knowing her decision was the right one didn’t make things any easier. She told Bustle, “I felt guilty for not capitalizing on the opportunity that I was being given, because I knew I was in such a lucky spot.”
“There were definitely some anxious moments of wondering if I was just throwing it all away, and why was I doing that?” she added.
At the same time, she also knew that her current path wasn’t quite what she “needed to stay sane.” So, she chose sanity.
It’s been years since that leap of faith, and now McAdams is making her career comeback by starring in the highly anticipated book adaptation of Judy Blume’s “Are You There God, It’s Me Margaret?” And this time, after cultivating a rich personal life, she’s more self-assured than ever, sharing that the break helped her feel “empowered.”
“It helped me feel like I was taking back some control. And I think it sort of allowed me to come in from a different doorway,” she said.
We might not all be Hollywood A-listers like Rachel McAdams, but her story feels universal nonetheless. Most of us, at one point or another, have experienced the pressure of choosing between material success and mental health. In reality, the two are inexorably linked, with our well-being providing the focus, confidence and stamina needed to truly accomplish something and sustain any momentum that follows. We know this on a gut level, and now more and more success stories are coming in that reflect this wisdom. Hustle culture certainly isn’t dead by any means, but its siren call is becoming steadily fainter. And if its silence means more empowerment, that feels like the biggest success of all.
By the way, if you haven’t checked out McAdams in the new trailer for “Are You There God, It’s Me Margaret?” then do yourself a favor and watch below. Without a doubt, it marks the beginning of a career renaissance.
Today, April 20, Universal Music Group shared a statement that “Circles,” “Better Now,” and “I Fall Apart” all exceeded the diamond threshold, according to Billboard. This makes Posty the artist with the most RIAA Diamond-certified singles at eight total. Therefore, he’ll be unleashing a greatest hits album called The Diamond Collection, to celebrate his victory. Lucky for fans, it’ll drop as soon as tomorrow, April 21, so they don’t have to wait long.
Meanwhile, the “Better Now” performer recently opened a special Cane’s store designed by himself in Midvale, Utah. “I have the best childhood memories of eating at Raising Cane’s in Dallas,” he said about it in a statement. “Collaborating with Todd on this restaurant near my house in Utah was awesome and I can’t wait for everyone to order their meal the ‘Posty Way.’”
Find the tracklist for The Diamond Collection below.
1. “White Iverson”
2. “Congratulations” Feat. Quavo
3. “I Fall Apart”
4. “Rockstar” Feat. 21 Savage
5. “Psycho” Feat. Ty Dolla $ign
6. “Better Now”
7. “Sunflower” Feat. Swae Lee
8. “Circles”
9. “Chemical”
As happens every April as the NFL Draft approaches, the same conversations and arguments about the value of the running back position in the modern game get re-litigated.
There are plenty who are staunchly in the “never draft a running back in the first round” camp, while others are willing to allow for exceptions to the rule based on a truly unique talent. The 2023 Draft has just that kind of back in Texas’ Bijan Robinson, but is also a deep class that could very well stoke the fires of the value argument further, as there are some mid-to-late round players that could be highly productive at the next level.
Here we are going to look at some of our favorite backs who could help a team immediately in the backfield, because while running back may not be the premium position it once was, it’s a position overflowing with talent coming into the league every year — which is part of what complicates things for guys seeking out big paydays.
The Top Dog: Bijan Robinson, Texas
If this were the mid-2000s, Robinson would be in the mix for going No. 1 overall in this Draft. That’s how good he is as a prospect. Robinson is a special mix of speed and power and is a true three-down back because of his abilities to run between the tackles and be a receiver out of the backfield. Last year at Texas he rushed for 1,580 yards and 18 touchdowns on 258 carries (6.1 yards per carry) and added 314 receiving yards and two touchdowns on 19 receptions (16.5 yards per catch). It’s hard to find things you don’t like about Robinson as a complete back. His vision is elite, his footwork impeccable, he has excellent speed (4.46 in the 40), terrific patience, good hands, and he’s got the size to hold up in blitz protection at 5’11, 215 pounds. He is, truly, a complete back.
On most big boards he’s somewhere in the top-5, with many having him as the second-best prospect overall behind Will Anderson. He will not go that high because of the aforementioned value issue facing running backs, but I expect someone in the late first round who has fewer glaring needs and could use an upgrade at running back to scoop him up and be very happy they did so.
The Next Best: Jahmyr Gibbs, Alabama
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Any of the teams that spend time watching film on any of the top Alabama offensive guys, whether that’s Bryce Young or their various OL prospects, are likely going to come away thinking about Gibbs. He was the constant safety valve for Young, particularly when the oddly porous Tide OL broke down, catching 44 passes for 444 yards and three touchdowns, and also showed off his game-breaking speed when he was able to bounce a run to the outside, toting the rock for 926 yards and seven touchdowns on 151 carries. Gibbs will enter the league with fewer miles on his tires than a lot of the top backs, thanks in part to playing in two places — Alabama and Georgia Tech — that used running backs by committee rather than asking him to be a bell cow.
At 5’9, 199 pounds, he’s not the biggest back and durability will be a question teams have for him, but his athleticism is special — he ran a 4.36 at the Combine. His pass-catching ability and versatility is as good as it gets in this class and someone will likely see him as a Day 2 value to add a change of pace to their backfield rotation.
Boom Or Bust: Devon Achane, Texas A&M
Achane is a similar back to Gibbs, albeit just a bit smaller (5’8.5, 188 pounds) and just a bit faster (4.32 in the 40). He was the bright point for a disappointing Texas A&M offense last season, rushing for 1,102 yards and eight touchdowns on 196 carries (5.4 ypc). His explosive play ability was muted by the Aggies’ struggles in the passing game, which led defenses to focus in on Achane more and more as the season went on, particularly as a pass catcher out of the backfield.
As a freshman and sophomore, Achane was the Aggies’ home run hitter, but this year, he averaged just 5.4 yards per catch. That’s not ideal for someone with his size and speed, but I feel like that was more an issue of Texas A&M’s offense around him than an Achane issue. Still, there are enough questions to cause him to dip a bit in this draft, but once Gibbs goes off the board, he will be a worthwhile swing for someone looking for that kind of big play ability from a change of pace back.
Day 3 Swing: Deuce Vaughn, Kansas State and Tyjae Spears, Tulane
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Vaughn and Spears are two highly productive college backs that will fall to Day 3 (or go undrafted) but make two teams very happy whenever they get brought into camp. We’ll start with Vaughn, who is the latest in a long line of highly productive, undersized players to come out of Kansas State. At 5’5, 179 pounds, he is as small a back as you’ll see. That said, he’s compact and strong for his height, and his production at K-State, where he was the guy is pretty insane.
Over the last two seasons with the Wildcats, Vaughn combined for 3,808 yards from scrimmage and 34 touchdowns. That’s not gimmicky production in a Power 5 conference, and his last two games — 46 carries, 263 yards, and tw0 TDs against TCU and Alabama — further prove that point. I expect him to land on a roster and stick once a team on Day 3 moves past his measureables and decides to bring in a “capital F” Football Player.
Then there’s Spears, who is 5’10, 201 pounds but runs bigger than that. He broke out this year to lead Tulane to the Cotton Bowl where they beat USC, as Spears absolutely showed out in the bowl game with 205 yards rushing on 17 carries. On the season, Spears rushed for 1,581 yards and 19 touchdowns, adding 256 yards receiving to that total as well. He is not afraid to of contact and has explosiveness once he hits the second level, with good stop-start burst to turn a change of direction into a big play. He doesn’t have the same top-end speed of an Achane or Gibbs, but he explodes in and out of breaks — as displayed by a 39-inch vertical and 10’5 broad jump at the Combine — and showed his durability and high productivity for Tulane, even against big-time opponents.
Elon Musk has been busy these days, doing what he’s been doing at Twitter and talking about sex with Tucker Carlson. Priorities, man! As all of those things have been happening, Musk has remained CEO of SpaceX, which conducted a Thursday morning unmanned (thank god) rocket launch that swiftly exploded upon liftoff. This is not exactly a vote of confidence for Musk’s oft-articulated ambitions to take mankind to Mars.
The first 25 seconds went well, at least, as tweeted by SpaceX.
Via the Washington Post, the broadcast included SpaceX’s John Insprucker declaring, “Obviously this does not appear to be a normal situation.” Still and as WaPo notes, the fact that this was a “test” means that SpaceX could count “the flight as a success because it would provide the company new information about how the vehicle performs in real life that will help them on future flights.” In other words, it was a failure but not a technical failure, even though the failure was of a technical nature. Clear as mud?
On Twitter, SpaceX very interestingly described the situation as “a rapid unscheduled disassembly.” Awkwardly, the account maintained the utmost positivity, “Congratulations to the entire SpaceX team on an exciting first integrated flight test of Starship!”
As if the flight test was not exciting enough, Starship experienced a rapid unscheduled disassembly before stage separation
With a test like this, success comes from what we learn, and today’s test will help us improve Starship’s reliability as SpaceX seeks to make life multi-planetary
In 2021, Mike Lindell offered $5 million to anyone who could disprove his claims that the 2020 election was rigged. He named the contest “Prove Mike Wrong.” Oops! Someone did, and now the Pillow Man owes them.
A private arbitration panel ruled on Wednesday that 63-year-old Robert Zeidman, a computer forensics expert from Nevada, is entitled to the multi-million payout. “Zeidman had examined Lindell’s data and concluded that it not only did not prove voter fraud, it had no connection to the 2020 election. He was the only expert who submitted a claim, arbitration records show,” according to the Washington Post. Lindell, who loves to lose money, initially refused to pay Zeidman. That’s when the arbitrators stepped in.
“Mr. Zeidman performed under the contract,” the arbitration panel wrote in its decision. “He proved the data Lindell LLC provided, and represented reflected information from the November 2020 election, unequivocally did not reflect November 2020 election data. Failure to pay Mr. Zeidman the $5 million prized was a breach of the contract, entitling him to recover.”
Zeidman is “really happy” with the decision. “They clearly saw this as I did — that the data we were given at the symposium was not at all what Mr. Lindell said it was. The truth is finally out there,” he said. As for the very normal Pillow Man, he told the Post, “They made a terribly wrong decision! This will be going to court!” If this ends with the Supreme Court telling Lindell that he was indeed proven wrong, it will be a good use of everyone’s time.
Beck and Gorillaz crossed paths on Jimmy Kimmel Live! on Wednesday night, April 19, to stage “Possession Island,” the Cracker Island track featuring Beck.
The performance began subdued. Damon Albarn sat at the piano and softly sang the opening verse before Beck sauntered out about 75 seconds in and stood beside the piano to duet with Albarn, “Where the pearly gates remain open / And welcome me home / ‘Cause the time I came to California, I died / At the hands of the ghosting queens.”
Sweetly, Albarn and Beck finished seated alongside each other at the piano to deliver the final lines: “Where things, they don’t exist / And we’re all in this together ’til the end / ‘Til the end.”
Gorillaz was fresh from the first weekend of Coachella — performing on Friday, April 14, and bringing out guests such as De La Soul, Del The Funky Homosapien, Thundercat, and more.
“Artists who couldn’t make it to the stage were replaced massive holograms like Tame Impala singing his part on ‘New Gold’ and Snoop Dogg firing off his verse in ‘Hollywood,’” Uproxx noted.
Watch Beck and Gorillaz’s “Possession Island” on Kimmel above.
Gorillaz is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
This week saw a real meeting of the minds as Elon Musk sat down for an interview with Tucker Carlson where the two proceeded to tackle the greatest societal problem of our time: how much they like to have sex.
During the course of the supremely weird and creepy interview, the two exchanged several awkward laughs and confused looks, which The Daily Show conveniently edited together for a hilarious supercut below:
As for the actual content of Tucker and Elon’s interview, well, again, they were both concerned with how sex (which they love) isn’t making enough babies anymore thanks to birth control and abortion (which they hate).
“I’m sort of worried that hey, civilization, if we don’t make enough people to at least sustain our numbers, perhaps increase a little bit, then civilization’s going to crumble,” Musk mused. “The old question of like, will civilization end with a bang or a whimper? Well, it’s currently trying to end with a whimper in adult diapers, which is depressing as hell.”
The Twitter CEO then went right one of his cringey puns: “I’d rather go out with a bang.” Needless to say, there was no shortage of weird, creepy laughter after that one.
What do you value more in a quarterback: what they are, or what they can be? The 2023 NFL Draft is an interesting case study in that, as the consensus is that there are four potential franchise guys who can line up under center. Ohio State’s C.J. Stroud and Alabama’s Bryce Young are studs right now. Florida’s Anthony Richardson and Kentucky’s Will Levis aren’t, but have the physical tools that make NFL teams drool.
So, who do you want as your guy? Should a starting point closer to the finish line be what you’re banking on, or do you trust your ability to develop someone who won’t step in on day one and take over as your team’s starter?
In the lead-up to the Draft, we decided to take a look at each position and highlight players in the following categories: The Top Dog, The Next Best, Boom Or Bust, and Day 3 Swing. Parsing those first two things at this position, in particular, are going to be difficult, but ultimately, one guy narrowly wins out.
The Top Dog: C.J. Stroud, Ohio State
The top-2 quarterbacks in this class are, for me, a coin flip. If the Carolina Panthers take Stroud No. 1, the Houston Texans should be ecstatic that they get to pick Bryce Young (if they want a quarterback!). If the Panthers take Young No. 1, the Texans should be ecstatic that they get to pick Stroud (same caveat!). If Carolina wants to swing for the fences with Anthony Richardson and both dudes drop to No. 2, the Texans are going to have to make a very difficult but very exciting decision (it might be Will Anderson!).
So, why Stroud? To me, his accuracy to all levels of the field, his ability to get the ball just about anywhere, his ability to beat teams before the ball is snapped, and the fact that he rarely makes mistakes (well, kind of) are just about everything you want in a quarterback right now. You mix that with being 6’3 and a better athlete than he gets credit for being and that he is, for me, both the safest QB prospect in this class and someone who still has a relatively high ceiling.
The concerns with Stroud, other than his lack of a supercharged arm, basically come down to the fact that: 1) He’s going from a team that can out-talent basically everyone to a bad NFL team and, 2) He is weirdly averse to using his legs. That second thing, and this is pure speculation, is something that makes me wonder if that’s coached into him. Here are two situations from his game against Nebraska in 2021 — one on a fourth-and-1 incompletion where he doesn’t even look to run despite being able to pick up an easy 10 yards, and one where he passes on picking up a few yards with his legs to try and force a ball into a window that does not exist and getting picked — that have stuck in my mind. He’s not Michael Vick or anything, but it is stunning how frequently he just doesn’t take what a defense is giving him with his legs so he can try to take even more with his arm.
My hunch is part of that has to do with the first thing. Why, exactly, would you not trust your receivers when you’re throwing to Chris Olave, or Garrett Wilson, or Jaxon Smith-Njigba, or Emeka Egbuka, or Marvin Harrison Jr.? (Aside: When we do this next year, if we don’t have Harrison as our No. 1 receiver, you have permission to come to my apartment and hit me with a lead pipe.) Ohio State is a program that just produces dudes, particularly at receiver, and there is something to be said of the fact that Stroud very rarely went up against opposition that could match up with his pass catchers.
You can see this in games where the Buckeyes are playing teams that have a chance against them, talent-wise. There are moments against teams like Georgia, or Michigan, or Penn State where the talent disparity isn’t as gigantic and Stroud gets sped up and is prone to panicking — his final interception against the Wolverines, where he overthrows a receiver who he’d hit 95 times out of 100, is a really good example.
But the thing with those games is the very good outweighs the bad by some distance. The Michigan game, for instance, features a number of throws that are quite impressive. Young didn’t play Georgia’s indomitable defense this year, but each of the other top-5 QBs did (Stroud, Richardson, Hendon Hooker, Will Levis), and Stroud was the best by a country mile, as he took them to the brink and very possibly would have won if Harrison didn’t get knocked out of the game in the third quarter. Penn State’s secondary had three starters who made All-Big Ten teams this year and he consistently carved them up down the field.
If Stroud’s able to adjust his internal clock once he goes from a team as good as Ohio State to a team as bad as the Panthers or Texans, and he embraces his legs a little more, he’s going to be very good right away. If he doesn’t, I’m confident he’ll be very good at some point not too far down the road.
The Next Best: Bryce Young, Alabama
So, why Stroud over Young? Ultimately it comes down to Young’s size, because it is a very real concern. At 5’10 and 204 pounds, he’s right around the same size as Kyler Murray (5’10, 207 pounds), only without the kind of breathtaking athleticism that helps Murray compensate for the fact that he’s not always able to carve up teams from the pocket.
At the same time, Mel Kiper is right: If Young was 6’1, he’s one of the best quarterback prospects in recent memory. He wouldn’t quite be on the level of a guy like Andrew Luck, but he legitimately would not be far off. Young’s ability to process the game is as good as it gets for a college football quarterback, and he backs it up with extreme accuracy all over the field and poise that is not matched — it’s very easy to say that the Alabama quarterback benefitted from his team out-talenting everyone, but the Crimson Tide have taken a bit of a step back (particularly along the offensive line) in recent years, and Young has not been deterred by that.
Unlike Stroud, Young doesn’t really have concerns about getting sped up and dealing with pressure. The intangible stuff with him are next-level, and are almost more impressive than his ability to play quarterback at a high level. He doesn’t have Richardson or Levis’ arms, but he can spin it, and his accuracy when he is throwing the ball deep is quite impressive. On short and intermediate stuff, it’s like he is walking the ball down the field and just handing it to his target. When he has to extend plays, his feel and ability to figure out how to do that in the moment is remarkable. His numbers falling off during his final year is partly due to an injury he suffered against Arkansas, but mostly due to the fact that the Crimson Tide’s skill position players fell off in a big way.
Despite coming in a loss, his best performance came on the road against Tennessee. All of the focus was on Hooker’s game (and he was truly unbelievable), but Young flat-out outplayed him and nearly willed Alabama to a win in a hostile environment. The number of times he made something out of nothing (here, here, here) or made something very difficult look simple (here) was NFL-level, as he did the ultra-rare thing in college football of making his teammates look better.
If not for the size — and, to an extent, the fact that he’s never going to punish teams as a runner — he’s the clear-cut No. 1 signal caller in this class. But this is more of a tiebreaker, for us, between two very close quarterbacks. If my team was going to war with Bryce Young as my quarterback, I’d feel extremely confident that he’d be able to make something happen.
Boom Or Bust: Anthony Richardson, Florida
If you’ve followed this Draft process at all, you are not surprised to see the words “boom or bust” linked to the Florida signal caller. From the moment he is selected, Richardson is going to be one of the 2-3 best athletes to ever be a quarterback on an NFL roster. His athletic traits — 6’4, 244 pounds with record-setting testing numbers — and nuclear powered right arm are the sorts of traits that are legitimately once-in-a-decade types of things. When he is put in situations where he is doing stuff that comes naturally to him, you see why he’s going to go high. This doesn’t just mean ripping it down the field or running in the open field, as he’s comfortable in situations where, say, he’s rolling to his right by design and letting it rip.
His issues come when he starts playing it fast and loose with his fundamentals. Let’s go through an extremely Anthony Richardson sequence from one of his best games this year, Florida’s season-opening win over Utah. Start at the 4-minute mark of the below video, and let’s watch through the 5-minute mark.
You get a play action and bootleg where he doesn’t have to do anything more than roll out and throw, and while the ball needs to be put in a better spot, it just looks natural with him. The very next play, he drops back, the OL does a great job, but his feet are all over the place and he misses a receiver on what should be a big gain. He uses his legs to pick up a few yards on the next play, and then, he makes one of his worst throws of the day. He’s moving to his left while getting chased, throws to someone in double coverage, airmails him, should have been picked off. Next two throws: An incompletion where he puts the ball too low (in fairness, he was under pressure), and then, a strike on the numbers that he throws in rhythm.
His tape is littered with stuff like this, moments where you see a guy who sticks to his guns, does the simple stuff, and looks like a future star. Interspersed throughout those moments you get a guy who is prone to being his own worst enemy. I think it’s quite possible he becomes a superstar and that a team that needs a quarterback should take a swing on him, but it’s very much dependent on him getting essentially the NFL’s version of a redshirt year.
Day 3 Swing: Dorian Thompson-Robinson, UCLA
If you are going to bet on traits and development late in the Draft, taking a guy like Thompson-Robinson makes a ton of sense. A former blue chip recruit, DTR got better every year during his time in Westwood, as he got the starting job as a true freshman, went through plenty ups-and-downs, and saved his best year for last. Thompson-Robinson put up career-best marks across the board as a redshirt senior in Chip Kelly’s offense, going 266-for-382 (69.6 percent) for 3,154 yards, 27 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions with an additional 646 yards and 12 scores on the ground.
While a guy like Stetson Bennett is closer to a finished product right now, Thompson-Robinson has a relatively high floor for a late-round selection and has room to get better. His athleticism, growth as a passer, experience in Chip Kelly’s offense, and toughness (the dude took some insane hits during his time in Westwood and usually got back up and kept battling) will appeal to teams. The concerns come in when he gets sped up — if he is able to set his feet and throw in rhythm he is quite good. When he gets sped up, he’s prone to either taking off or throwing before he wants to, and that’s where he is prone to getting into some trouble. His game against USC last year is a good example of him at his best (a playmaker with his arm and legs capable of making every throw who can take over a game) and worst (he threw three picks, and while the first one was partly an excellent play by the defense back, the second and especially third were just not throws you can make).
Bring up the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame to a typical music fan, and you will immediately receive two contradictory responses in the same breath. First, this person will say, “A museum for music is lame, and being inducted has no bearing on the actual artistic merit of a musician’s work.” This is correct. And then this person will say, “I can’t believe the Rock Hall doesn’t include [an encyclopedic list of overlooked geniuses that have been meticulously and angrily catalogued over the course of many years]!” This is also correct.
The Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame doesn’t matter. We all know this.
But the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame also matters a lot. We all know this, too.
By the way, I am also this typical music fan. The difference is that I am also a Rock Hall voter. But before I was a voter, I routinely ripped the institution as irrelevant, Boomer-obsessed, artistically suspect, and idiotic. I also was very interested in becoming a person with a (very small) role in choosing who gets inducted. After all, if this thing was going to exist anyway, I wanted to have a say.
But with (very minor) power comes (medium) responsibility. I decided that if I’m going to be a voter, I must be transparent, even if it means opening myself to online abuse from opinionated loud-mouths exactly like me.
Therefore, I am going to walk through my process of voting for the 2023 Rock Hall class. Along the way, I’ll try to explain my reasoning, as well as my frustrations with the process. (Even though I’m a voter, I am still complaining about the Rock Hall. Old habits die hard.)
But before we get to that, let me explain five things:
1) There are 14 nominees this year. I did not pick the nominees. The nominating committee picked them. I know nothing about the nominating committee. I imagine they are like the shadowy cabal that Tom Cruise discovers in Eyes Wide Shut. (Except with less orgies.)
2) You are allowed to vote for five acts. There are no write-ins. (I am speaking to you, guy on Twitter who is about to tweet at me, “No love for Phish?”) Ballots are due at the end of April, and the inductees will be announced (I think) in early May.
3) This is an extremely qualified class. It’s not true every year that all of the candidates are worthy of induction. It is true this year, though. If I could, I would vote for all of them. But I can’t. So I didn’t.
4) If I didn’t vote for an artist, it is not intended as a sign of disrespect. As I said, I like (or love) the nine acts I didn’t vote for. In some cases, the only reason I didn’t vote for a particular act is because I felt like they would make it without my support. In those instances, I put priority on artists who might need my vote over those who don’t.
5) Voting for the Rock Hall requires a lot of this sort of reactive, strategic thinking. (At least it does for me — other people might throw darts at their ballots for all I know.) I think my strategies makes sense. But you might disagree. And if you disagree, I might mute you.
Okay, let’s parse this.
Kate Bush
One strategy — as I just said — is not voting for artists/bands that I’m confident already have enough votes to get in. I considered this approach for Kate Bush. Coming off her Stranger Things bump — which occurred in the midst of a long-running critical love fest for her work among modern music writers — I assumed that Kate Bush of all people was a slam dunk. But then I remembered that I voted for her in 2021, and I thought she was a slam dunk then, and she’s somehow still not in. And … I really think Kate Bush is extremely overdue at this point? In terms of influence, every arty, left-of-center indie pop artist in 2023 owes something to her. And yet somehow her music also doesn’t seem overexposed. She’s foundational and fresh at the same time, a very rare combination.My vote: Yes.
Sheryl Crow
I like Sheryl Crow. I really like her first three albums, which established her as one of the most reliable creators of pop-rock radio candy in the ’90s. Her best song from this era, “If It Makes You Happy,” has been covered by approximately 7,000 indie bands and yet if another one covered it tomorrow I would quickly smash the play button. You can make a case that the most popular singer-songwriters to emerge in the last five years — everyone from Phoebe Bridgers to Lucy Dacus to Soccer Mommy – owe Crow a sizable debt. As it is, I expect to hear and enjoy her indestructible songs at CVS until the day I keel over at a CVS.
Now the nitpicky part: Did she invent an archetype? I think Kate Bush clearly did. Sheryl Crow refined the heartland rocker sound for a new decade, which is admirable. But is she inventive? I don’t know about that. Does that mean “Strong Enough” isn’t a great song? Of course not. Unfortunately, we’re already in Sophie’s Choice territory here.
My vote: No.
Missy Elliott
Is she inventive? Absolutely? Is she one of the important rappers of her generation? Uh-huh. Did I recently put her on a list of the best debut albums ever? I did! Did I vote for her? Um … let me explain.
There are people on this list who are deserving that have been waiting for years and even decades to get inducted. Some of these artists waited so long that they died before they could be recognized. This is pretty much the case every year. Therefore, I try to prioritize artists who have been stuck for an eternity in the waiting room over those who have just entered the conversation. Kate Bush, for instance, has been eligible since 2004. That’s longer than the core viewership of Stranger Things has been alive. So, that’s another reason why I’m voting for her.
This is Missy Elliott’s first year of eligibility. If she doesn’t make it this year — I actually think she will have a lot of support — she will get in at some point. If that’s the case, I look forward to eventually casting my vote for her.
My vote: No.
Iron Maiden
The thing that people who get upset about the Rock Hall don’t understand is that voters aren’t able vote based on the merits of a particular artist. You are voting based on the merits of a particular artist relative to the other artists who are on the ballot. You are forced to compare apples with oranges and ’90s rappers with ’80s metal bands. It frankly is the single most frustrating aspect of voting for this thing.
As I pondered my ballot this year, I wondered if we would be better off as voters if there were categories. What if artists were separated by decade? You get to vote for one artist from the ’70s, the ’80s, etc. (Actually, that doesn’t seem totally workable). Maybe it should be genre? One pop singer, one alt-rock band, one rapper, etc. (Hmm … that also seems flawed.)
Back to Maiden. I love this band. Their ’80s work is iconic, but they have also put out quality late-period work. As an arena attraction, they’re an all-time live act. Basically, you can’t write the history of metal without them. And metal in general is woefully under-represented in the Rock Hall. I also suspect that they will need every vote that they can get, as many voters (it seems) shrug their shoulders at bands like this.
My vote: Yes.
Joy Division/New Order
I have mixed feelings about packaging these two pioneering post-punk bands together. On one hand, I get it: New Order very naturally extended from Joy Division in the wake of Ian Curtis’ death. Also, thinking of them as one entity probably makes each band seem more important in the minds of an electorate that has been slow to induct alt-rock legends.
On the other hand … these are two different bands! And it’s kind of corny that Rock Hall voters can’t just decide that Joy Division and New Order deserve their own sets of flowers. Besides, I would love to see Bernard Sumner and Peter Hook awkwardly stand next to each other on stage on two separate occasions, rather than just one.
Here’s the thing: I gambled on this one. I am 95 percent sure that Joy Division/New Order is going to make it. I originally had them on my ballot, but then I thought, “Do they really need my support?” If I’m wrong, I will feel as bad as I do whenever I put on Closer.
My vote: No.
Cyndi Lauper
Here’s another artist I am confident will make it with or without my help. She was among the highest vote-getters for the online fan vote, which historically has been a good indicator of who gets inducted. And she has the sort of cross-generational support among industry people that bodes well for her chances. So: While I love “Time After Time,” I must put my support elsewhere.
My vote: No.
George Michael
George and Cyndi have a similar career arc, in that they both put out unassailable ’80s pop classics as their debuts — 1983’s She’s So Unusual and 1987’s Faith, respectively — that were so massive that they overshadow the rest of their work. In the case of George Michael, he only put out three more albums of original material after Faith. If I’m picking nits, that works against him.
Then again, I really, really love Faith. It really is one of the best pop albums of all time. I am also inclined, as I mentioned, to honor artists who passed away before they could be honored. But there are, sadly, a lot of artists to posthumously honor this year.
I hate this.
My vote: No.
Willie Nelson
Is he the greatest and most consequential artist on this list? I would say yes. He is so great and consequential that he seems way bigger than the Rock Hall. The honor almost diminishes him. It’s like the federal government giving Abraham Lincoln an “Employee Of The Month” award.
Does Willie Nelson really need this?
My vote: No.
Rage Against The Machine
I am inclined to vote for ’90s alt-rock bands. As I have complained many, many times, the Rock Hall seems to be pivoting away from nominating rock acts because there’s a mistaken belief that all of the great rock acts are already in. And that’s not true! It’s the opposite of true! Google your favorite alt or indie or metal band from the ’80s and ’90s, and there’s a very good chance they are not yet in, and a decent chance that they haven’t even been nominated!
Rage has already been on the ballot several times, and yet here we are. Clearly, there are voters who will always blame these guys for popularizing nü-metal. I wonder if the Rock Hall will eventually go the Joy Division/New Order route and package Rage Against The Machine with Soundgarden and Audioslave for a three-banger of bombastic riffage. That bill would be undeniable.
As for me, there is another band from this era I am voting for instead.
I’m sorry, Tom Morello.
My vote: No.
Soundgarden
While they didn’t start having hits until the ’90s, Soundgarden actually originated in the ’80s, which means they preceded all of their grunge peers and set the blueprint for that music. (This is their 11th year of eligibility.) Nevertheless, they have been on the outside looking in as Nirvana and Pearl Jam were swiftly escorted into the hall. (Incredibly, Matt Cameron made it as a member of Pearl Jam before the band he started out in.)
I think they deserve to make it, and I fear that both Boomers and Millennials in the voting pool are inclined to overlook one of the best Gen X hard rock outfits ever. So I am doubly inclined to lend my support. I just wish Chris Cornell was still around to appreciate it.
My vote: Yes.
The Spinners
To revive a gripe from earlier: It’s really dumb to be put in a position where I’m forced to compare this sublime ’70s vocal group to Soundgarden and Kate Bush. These artists are brilliant in completely different ways! The current system encourages the worst sort of tribalism among voters, where people lazily fall back on picking artists who mattered to them between the ages of 17 and 24. (Or against artists associated with whichever older or younger generation the voter happens to personally resent.)
When it comes to Philly Soul — which simply is some of the most purely enjoyable music ever made — you can’t go wrong with The Spinners. If I were voting for the Backyard BBQ Music Hall Of Fame, the group responsible for “I’ll Be Around” and “Could It Be I’m Falling In Love” would be at the top of my ballot. Please give them the “Musical Excellence” Award!
My vote: No.
A Tribe Called Quest
Are they one of the top five groups in their genre? Check.
Have they put out beloved albums in multiple decades? Check.
Is it impossible to write the history of hip-hop without them? Check.
Do their best albums still sound incredible? Check.
Is The Low End Theory as good as any LP put out by any artist on this list? Check.
Have they already waited too long? Check. (This is their eighth year of eligibility.)
Do I hope that Q-Tip sees this and invites me to hang out sometime? Check.
My vote: Yes.
The White Stripes
If they make it, will Meg White show up? I’m tempted to vote yes just to find out. (In addition to The White Stripes being, you know, one of the best and most popular rock bands of the last 25 years.)
However, I have to fall back on my “don’t vote for an act on their first year of eligibility if there are worthy artists who already have been waiting a long time” rule. I think The White Stripes will make it regardless, but if it’s not this year, it will definitely be next year.
My vote: No.
Warren Zevon
He’s the least famous person here. He has (I’m guessing) sold the fewest records. He has the most checkered past, and (again, I’m guessing) he has personally alienated the most voters. (He has been dead for 20 years, but he had a huge lead in the “alienated industry people” department.)
Warren Zevon is also the artist I am most personally invested in making it. I love his music more than anyone else here, and I also feel that making the Rock Hall would help his legacy the most. He’s the opposite of Willie Nelson in that regard — a Rock Hall induction would have a tangible impact on encouraging people who might otherwise have no reason to put on “Splendid Isolation” to give the guy a chance. And his music deserves that chance.
The Rock Hall doesn’t matter. We all know this. But the Rock Hall also matters a lot. We all know this, too. And it would matter the most to WZ.
My vote: Hell yes.
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
Move over, Jennifer Coolidge. While the Best in Show star — and American treasure — and her onscreen hotel hookup-turned-husband Jon Gries were the only two actors from the first season of The White Lotus to make it to season 2, they’re about to have their season count challenged.
While it’s possible that Coolidge and/or Gries could get some screentime in the upcoming third season of the Mike White-created hit, it seems unlikely — for all the reasons anyone who watched season 2 understands. But we will see another familiar face: Variety reports that Natasha Rothwell, who played spa manager Belinda in season 1, will return for another go-around in the hit HBO series’ upcoming third season.
While White is keeping the details of exactly what’s to come in the new season pretty quiet, he has described the season as “a satirical and funny look at death and Eastern religion and spirituality.” It has also been reported that the season will take place in Thailand.
In addition to being a fan favorite character in The White Lotus‘ first season, Rothwell’s Belinda — who allowed herself to get caught in Coolidge’s vapid web of big dreams and half-baked ideas — was a hit with critics. In 2022, Rothwell earned an Emmy nomination for the role for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie (the series will now compete in the Drama category). In 2020, Rothwell earned her first Emmy nomination for Outstanding Comedy Series as part of the cast of Issa Rae’s Insecure.
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wasn’t exactly suppose to explode in the sky minutes after take off. 
(@7Veritas4) 
(@gtconway3d) 
(or as SpaceX tweeted a ‘rapid unscheduled disassembly’ 
)
(@coolgoofball) 
