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Yesterday, Billy McFarland announced that he’d be returning with a Fyre Festival II, shortly after being released from prison for what occurred during the first one.

For those who don’t recall or hadn’t heard of the first one, McFarland attempted to host a music festival on an island, using celebrity endorsements to sell tickets. (He paid Kendall Jenner $250,000 to reportedly post about it, as just one example.) However, as guests arrived, it was more like a scene out of Lost, rather than a luxurious event. The artists on the lineup, including Blink-182, Migos, and more, had already canceled their appearances.

The disastrous attempt cost investors $26 million and earned McFarland a six-year prison sentence, of which he served about four.

When asked why in the world McFarland would think it was a good idea to try this again, he answered, “It’s in the best interest of those I owe for me to be working. People aren’t getting paid back if I sit on the couch and watch tv. And because I served my time.”

“I was wrong,” McFarland also said last year during a Good Morning America interview. “I messed up. I was so driven by this desperate desire to prove people right. I had these early investors, backers, employees, and I think I was just so insecure that I thought the only way to prove myself to them was to succeed and that led me down this terrible path of bad decisions.”

Late last year, he was also reportedly hosting something called PYRT (pronounced Pirate) that was supposed to be a virtual festival. But why have that when you can have a real thing?

As to who exactly would attend Fyre Fest II this time around, I guess we’ll have to see.

Blink-182 is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Stranger Things star Millie Bobby Brown might be engaged and the internet is handling the news about as well as can be expected.

Brown, 19, has been in a relationship with Jake Bongiovi, 20, since November 2021. The pair have attended red carpets together and Bongiovi — who just so happens to be the son of musician Jon Bon Jovi — has been featured heavily on Brown’s Instagram over the years. In January, Brown shared some snaps of the couple on vacation calling Bongiovi her “partner for life,” and now it seems they’re adding a bit of bling to that statement.

The actress shared a black and white photo of the pair embracing on a beach while she wore what appeared to be an engagement ring. Brown was wearing a white lace cover-up and sporting the diamond on her left ring finger. She captioned the post with Taylor Swift lyrics that read, “I’ve loved you three summers now, honey, I want ’em all” ending things with a heart emoji.

Brown recently celebrated her 19th birthday with Bongiovi by her side in February and while the couple has a few years under their belt, fans on Twitter seemed shocked that the actress would get engaged so young. So shocked in fact that #She’s19 is currently trending on the social media site.

Glad to see we’re all having a completely normal reaction to another bit of low-stakes celebrity news.

(Via Page Six)

Warning: Spoilers ahead for season four, episode three of Succession.

There were a lot of surprising things in episode three of Succession, but there was one key moment that had everyone shocked: when Roman and Connor shared an awkward hug. There was also the whole dad dying thing, but you already knew that!

In the emotionally-charged episode, the siblings are forced to confront the thing that they had been afraid of (or working towards) the entire show after Logan Roy met his end on a flight to Sweden. The rest of the episode is dedicated to the aftermath of the patriarch’s death, which inspired many Emmy-worthy performances from the Roy siblings. And tears from every viewer at home.

But back to that shocking moment– a hug between Connor and Roman (Alan Ruck and Kieran Culkin). Director Mark Mylod confirmed that it was an improvised moment between the actors. “No, that wasn’t in the script. That just happened organically in a lovely, clumsy way,” Mylod told GQ.

Mylod also shared another pivotal moment that wasn’t initially planned but helped the audience see the impact that their father’s death has had on them. He explained, “One of my favourite moments in the episode just happened, too. Right at the end of the episode when Sarah’s character has just done the press briefing, and the three of them fall into this three-way hug before going their separate ways. That wasn’t in the script. But Sarah’s character and Jeremy’s character holding hands that was in the script, and it killed me on the day.”

Even though it wasn’t in the script, the moment helped put the moment into perspective for the audience. “Any time we just get that window into their childhood is such a lovely thing. It just deepens our connection to those characters and our understanding of them,” Mylod added.

While Logan is really, truly dead, there is still an opportunity for one more “F*ck You” from the patriarch, as Brian Cox confirmed he would “pop back” for flashbacks in a few more scenes. There are still seven more episodes of madness left, so you never know what will happen.

(Via GQ)

Barry has always walked a tightrope. For three seasons now, the show has mined laughs from a plot about a mass-murdering hitman who tries to go clean with the help of a newfound passion for acting. It’s something that’s really hard to explain to someone who doesn’t watch the show. Try it sometime this week. It gets weird fast, especially when you get to the thing about the powerful figure in the Chechen mob who was involved in a panther-related murder and is also now in a forbidden same-sex relationship with a powerful figure in the Bolivian mob and is also the sweetest and kindest man on the show by a factor of about one thousand. People look at you pretty weird by the end of that speech. It’s okay. It’s their loss if they’re missing out.

This is especially true of the fourth and final season, which debuts on HBO this Sunday, April 16. Things are, on paper, incredibly bleak. Barry (Bill Hader) opens the season in prison after his arrest at the end of season three for one of the many murders he very much committed. Sally (Sarah Goldberg) is back home in Joplin to escape the horrors of, well, dating a murderer and beating a dude to death. Gene (Henry Winkler) is getting praise heaped on him for catching Barry with the help of Janice Moss’ terrifying father (Robert Wisdom, holy hell), and eating it up to a degree that — I don’t think this is a spoiler if you’ve seen the three previous seasons of the show and watched Gene do anything — quickly spins out of control. Everyone is spiraling a little in the wake of the big thing that finally happened. Barry was never going to get to, like, star in a sitcom and live happily ever after. The past comes for everyone at some point.

What’s incredible about all of this, though, is that it remains just massively silly in places, and makes it work. There’s always a danger of a tonal whiplash there, where you go from a serious scene where a character grapples with awful things they’ve done straight into a scene with, to choose just one example, a silly stoner beignet guy named Mitch. Or Henry Winkler doing a physical comedy bit that is straight out of a Bugs Bunny cartoon. (I’m serious about this second thing.) Barry is sometimes a midnight black story, a show that takes the dark in dark comedy to uncomfortable places. It is also a show where… this happens.

That all of this works at the rate it does is a testament to Hader and co-creator Alec Berg. Especially Hader, who pulls triple duty as star, lead writer, and director. He’s behind the camera for every episode in the final season and, hoo buddy, is he putting on a show. There are shots that linger in a way that unsettle the viewers, and action sequences that rival a big-budget movie (the dirtbike chase in season three might be one of my favorite scenes from any show on television in the last five years), and goofball bits that are staged in a way that remind you that this dude is just really funny, first and foremost. There’s a scene early on in the season where NoHo Hank (Anthony Carrigan) and his lover-associate Cristobal (Michael Irby) are giving a presentation about a potential illicit source of income that I backed up and watched a second time just because it was such a delight. I’m excited for you to see it.

I’m also excited for you to see the scene where Hank is dressed like this, not so much for the story it reveals as… I mean, just look at my sweet Chechen prince.

Which is, again, the point I’m making about the wild ping-ponging tone of this show, and of this final season. The stuff with Sally gets uncomfortable and heavy in spots. Barry, mostly to this point a cold and calculated character who has to work to channel real emotion, lets ugly sides of himself spill out in little desperate explosions. Gene remains just the neediest and most pathetic narcissist you’ve ever seen, desperate for attention and accolades even if it puts himself and others at risk. The show started out as a kind of satire of Hollywood and the entire profession of acting, which was cool, but it’s now evolved into a much deeper look at the humanity of people who are barely humans. Which is also cool. And it has Stephen Root in it. Stephen Root rules. I can’t believe I made it this far into the review without mentioning him. Let’s go ahead and file that one under “Barry has an embarrassment of riches” instead of “Brian is bad at his job.” Thank you.

There’s a thing that happens early in this final season where another character talks to Barry and says “I’m sure you’re not a bad guy.” This is something you’ve seen in the other great Difficult Dudes shows in the genre, your Sopranos and Breaking Bads and Better Call Sauls, where the main character is a full-on monster who we come to feel sympathy for as we learn more about his life and personality and dreams. Hell, you even saw it a little bit with John Wick, another story about a hitman trying and failing to go clean that wrapped up this year after its fourth installment. And while there is a cliche to that, to the “I’m not a bad person, I’ve just done bad things” brand of storytelling, I think the bigger point here is this…

I just compared Barry to three of the best television dramas of the last quarter century, and to one of our coolest and most successful action movie franchises, and I bet you didn’t even clock it as it happened. That’s a ringing endorsement for any show. It’s a borderline miracle for a half-hour comedy. I’m going to miss this one a lot when it’s gone. I’m going to enjoy the heck out of it first.

Angel Olsen is always up to something. Last year, she unveiled the seismic indie-folk album Big Time, which came with an accompanying film. She announced a new EP called Forever Means last month, and she shared the title track today.

“Forever Means” possesses the endearing twang of her last LP, as well as the intimate, vulnerable ambiance. In emotive croons, she explores the ephemeral nature of everything: “Forget all I said just look at the way / We are when we’re there together / Each moment arrives and then disappears but the searching goes on / Forever.”

“I was somewhere traveling,” Olsen said in a press release, “stopped for a few days and wandering the city, and I was thinking ‘what does ‘forever’ really mean? What are the things I’m seeking in friendship or love, and how can ‘forever’ be attainable if we’re always changing?’”

The song explores the meaning of forever as she contemplates aloud: “Forever forever / Forever means always looking / Forever means trying to see / Forever means saying what’s on your mind,” she sings, unhurried and thoughtful. It comes with a cinematic, nostalgic lyric video that captures the gorgeousness of the music.

Listen to “Forever Means” above.

Forever Means is out 4/14 via Jagjaguwar. Find more information here.

Doja Cat has lost her blue verified checkmark on Twitter, but she isn’t sweating it. She’s been highly active on the platform lately, using it to discuss her recent surgery, troll fans about her upcoming album, and clap back at trolls who criticized her for doing both. But in the future, she’ll do all that without being verified, so maybe it won’t even be the Doja Cat (it’ll probably be Doja Cat, provided it’s coming from her @DojaCat account).

When fans noticed “no blue tick,” Doja geared up to clown yet again. “Only fans have blue ticks,” she replied. When another fan wondered “What has elon done to you doja?” referencing the controversial businessman who took over the app recently and made some… less than popular changes, Doja unloaded. “Having a blue tick now means theres a higher chance that you’re a complete loser and that you’re desperate for validation from famous people.” … Yikes (this tracks, though).

The Elon Musk Twitter Takeover hasn’t really gone well. He temporarily replaced the iconic bird logo with the DogeCoin dog, the sham currency he backed during the whole cryptocurrency craze, and users hated it. Twitter Circle isn’t private anymore and well, that’s a lawsuit begging to happen. Even notorious cheapskate (his words, not mine) LeBron James has refused to pay for verification, so Doja’s in good company. It looks like the Twitter we all knew and loved really is dead. Thanks a lot, Musk.

WARNING: Spoilers for Succession Season 4 below.

After dropping a major bombshell, the shocking death of family patriarch Logan Roy, the creative team behind Succession has been opening up about the painstaking process to prevent leaks ahead of the fatal episode.

Thanks to a crafty decision by creator Jesse Armstrong, Logan’s death happens in the third episode of the final season when viewers would least suspect a devastating twist of this magnitude. However, keeping the moment under wraps required some behind-the-scenes subterfuge involving Larry David of all people.

“This was a tough secret to keep!” Succession writer Georgia Pritchett revealed on Twitter, two days after the episode aired. “We decided it in the #Succession writers’ room in Jan 22. So nobody found out we used code on the whiteboards. Larry David meant Logan Dies. So episode 403 said Connor’s Wedding, Larry David. Mind you, that would also have been a great episode.”

Brian Cox also revealed that the production team also tried to shoot fake scenes so paparazzi photos wouldn’t spoil his character’s funeral. But when the film crew ran out of time and told him to stay home, Cox crashed the set anyway to protect the big twist.

“As soon as I got out of the car, there were paparazzi shooting me left, right, and center, and therefore, they thought, Logan’s at the funeral, what is he doing?” Cox told Deadline. “You see, and if I hadn’t done that, if I hadn’t come, they would’ve gone, it’s Logan’s funeral. And I was the one who took that responsibility. They didn’t even think of it. They were so rushed, and so much, you know, this last season was very difficult to film.”

Succession Season 4 airs new episodes Sunday on HBO.

(Via Georgia Pritchett on Twitter)

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 Indigo De Souza, Beach Fossils, Sbtrkt, Toro Y Moi, 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.

Blondshell — Blondshell

Singles like the devastating “Olympus” or the catchy “Veronica Mars” showcased an intimate, compelling debut album from Blondshell, the project of Sabrina Teitelbaum. More than half the tracks were released before the unveiling of the LP, but the material sounds satisfying together. It’s a complex portrait of self-destruction and yearning for more, especially portrayed on the new “Sober Together”: “Call me, I wanna be there for you / But not in a way that lets you take me down with you.”

Wednesday — Rat Saw God

Wednesday’s seismic Rat Saw God demands to be replayed over and over again. The explosive opener “Hot Rotten Grass Smell” is a blazing entrance, kicking off the album with noisy guitars and Karly Hartzman’s addictive drawl. It bleeds into the 8-minute catharsis “Bull Believer,” which feels like a finale, but the story’s stillest beginning. “Chosen To Deserve” is a love song with hyper-specific anecdotes about self-destruction; “Quarry” is a tame indie-rock ballad about lice, teenage pregnancy, and drug busts. Rat Saw God will suck you in and you won’t want to leave its dark embrace.

Scowl — Psychic Dance Routine

Though Scowl are most known for playing an insane hardcore show at a Sonic or maybe for being repped by Post Malone on a T-shirt, their music speaks for itself. Psychic Dance Routine commands the listener to feel the songs fully, to be absorbed into their vicious energy. The title track slows things down for a more seething feeling, which bleeds into the ferocious, growl-filled “Wire,” proving their eclectic skill.

Balance And Composure — Too Quick To Forgive

2019 was a tragic year for fans of the beloved Pennsylvania emo band Balance And Composure. They announced their breakup and played vigorous farewell shows that only showcased the passion their music inspired in people. Luckily, they’re back now with a small EP called Too Quick To Forgive featuring songs “Savior Mode” and “Last To Know,” the former of which is certainly one of the best songs of their career. The four-and-a-half minute track captures their catharsis and intensity; “Last To Know,” an ethereal slow-burner, encapsulates their talent for brooding anthems.

Indigo De Souza — “You Can Be Mean To Me”

Somehow, Indigo De Souza’s singles have just been getting better and better. “Younger & Dumber” was a powerful, vulnerable song about maturation; “Smog” was a dancey anthem reckoning with anxiety. “You Can Be Mean To Me” grapples with a toxic relationship: “I’d like to think you got a good heart / And your dad was just an asshole growing up.” The emotional intensity is immediately palpable and impactful.

Feeble Little Horse — “Steamroller”

Feeble Little Horse’s “Steamroller” is an enthralling dose of idiosyncratic shoegaze. Lydia Slocum’s soothing vocals work well against disorienting guitars: “Steamroller, you / F*ck like you’re eating / Your smile’s like / Lines in the concrete.” Their brand of beautifully weird indie rock might never get old.

Origami Angel — “Thank You, New Jersey”

It’s 2023 and pop punk is alive and well. “Thank You, New Jersey” is a relentless anthem that sounds like an acid trip at Warped Tour. It moves nauseatingly fast in the best way and the riffs are ridiculously infectious, almost aggressively so, and the lyrics are unforgettable: “I’m on an island alone with my conscious / There’s no place that I’d rather be.”

Sbtrkt, Toro Y Moi — “Days Go By”

Sbtrkt’s new album The Rat Road arrives in May, and “Days Go By,” which features Toro Y Moi, is a new taste. There’s a groove throughout the four and a half minutes, during which Toro Y Moi catchily narrates the dullness of the days: “I called just to see if you could still go out / Nothing was open so we just stayed in.”

Spaced — “Boomerang” & “Cycle Killer”

Spaced make cutthroat, eclectic hardcore. “Boomerang” & “Cycle Killer” are the newest offerings, and they showcase the band’s devotion to pure mayhem. At around two minutes, both give their all, shredding with insane guitar solos and attention-grabbing shouts and high-energy breakdowns.

Beach Fossils — “Dare Me”

Preparing for Bunny, their first new studio album in six years, Beach Fossils shared the second single “Dare Me” to follow “Don’t Fade Away.” The laid-back song is reminiscent of Turnover’s Peripheral Vision, pulling the listener in with its dreamy atmosphere and nostalgic texture.

Zach Bryan isn’t here for anyone’s transphobia.

A recent advertisement for Bud Light features transgender influencer and activist Dylan Mulvaney, which has spurred violently transphobic reactions from some country and rock artists. In a video uploaded to social media, Kid Rock is seen shooting cases of Bud Light.
Country singer Travis Tritt also took to Twitter to share that he would be removing Anheuser-Busch products from his hospitality rider.

After Tritt’s notice on Twitter, Bryan had some words for the singer.

“I mean no disrespect towards anyone specifically, I don’t even mind @Travistritt,” said Bryan in a tweet. “I just think insulting transgender people is completely wrong because we live in a country where we can all just be who we want to be. It’s a great day to be alive I thought.”

That last sentence is a reference to Tritt’s song “It’s A Great Day To Be Alive.”

In addition to his removal of Anheuser-Busch products from his rider, Tritt also expressed his disdain toward Jack Daniel’s for featuring drag performers in a recent campaign.

Bryan also presented a solution for this, saying, “I love Jack Daniels (my dogs name) and I will drink enough for both of us I promise.”

Zach Bryan is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

One of the surprise delights that awaited viewers of The Super Mario Bros. Movie was another classic Jack Black musical moment — one that has the internet’s attention in a chokehold. “Peaches,” a power ballad sung by Black as the film’s villain Bowser, who secretly pines for the Princess of the Mushroom Kingdom, has quickly become a fan favorite on social media.

Well, here’s some good news for those fans: According to Variety, “Peaches” will be eligible to win a Best Original Song Oscar at next year’s Academy Awards. Which, if you ask the legions of newly converted Bowswer fans, is an award it already has in the bag.

Universal appears to know this as well; in addition to highlighting the song on social media, the studio even commissioned a music video featuring Jack Black directed by hip-hop’s go-to director Cole Bennett, who applies his signature colorful aesthetic to the video.

The music in The Super Mario Bros. Movie has turned out to be an unexpected star with both classic pop needle drops and not one, but two notoriously bad Ninento-related raps of the ’90s returning to introduce heroes the Super Mario Bros. and Donkey Kong. The cast even made an appearance on late-night TV to perform an acapella version of the game’s iconic theme song.

Check out Bowser’s “Peaches” video above and try not to get it stuck in your head for the rest of the day.