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The White Stripes is one of the most beloved rock bands of its era and “Seven Nation Army” is a bona fide classic. The band is carried by Jack White’s distinct voice and his often-aggressive guitar, as well as by Meg White’s relatively simple drumming style, the latter of which has often been criticized. A Twitter user revived that discourse recently and The Roots drummer and music historian Questlove was not hearing it.

Late last night/early this morning (March 14), Questlove shared a tweet from a user that read, “The tragedy of the White Stripes is how great they would’ve been with a half decent drummer. Yeah yeah I’ve heard all the ‘but it’s a carefully crafted sound mannnn!’ takes. I’m sorry Meg White was terrible and no band is better for having sh*tty percussion.”

To that, he responded, “I try to leave ‘troll views’ alone but this right here is out of line af. Actually what is wrong w music is people choking the life out of music like an Instagram filter—trying to reach a high of music perfection that doesn’t even serve the song (or music).” He added in another tweet, “This is why I walk that Dilla path and play like a drunken sloppy af amateur because them flaws is the human element in music that is missing. Real film >>>>>>> IG filter photo.”

In a 2002 interview, Meg White said of the criticism she faced, “I appreciate other kinds of drummers who play differently, but it’s not my style or what works for this band. I get [criticism] sometimes, and I go through periods where it really bothers me. But then I think about it, and I realize that this is what is really needed for this band. And I just try to have as much fun with it as possible.”

After an epic Hollywood comeback—including a momentous Oscar win—could the well of heartwarming, inspiring Brendan Fraser stories run dry?

Of course not. It’s Brendan Fraser.

Granted, this anecdote is technically from 2007, but thanks to it recently being shared by FX artist Dave Rand, it’s like the world is now privy to a whole new layer of Fraser’s enduring kindness.

In a lengthy two-part Twitter post, Rand detailed how his special effects crew for “Journey to the Center of the Earth” had nearly been robbed of $1.3 million dollars worth of work.

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“In November 2007 our paychecks stopped,” he wrote. Meteor Studios, the company producing the film, had convinced Rand and his crew to complete their work on the handful of shots left, guaranteeing that they’d be compensated with overtime.

Then, the studio filed for bankruptcy. “As soon as we delivered the last shot, we were escorted out. It was two weeks before Christmas and we’d soon learn there was no money,” Rand said.

Rand had tried to share his plight with Hollywood news outlets, to no avail. Even Variety rejected him, saying “another visual effects company going bankrupt, however sad, is really not newsworthy at this time.”Even trying to publish their own press release was met with threats.

Desperate, Rand attempted reaching out to Fraser, who was the star and a producer on the film. Or rather, he tried to contact Fraser’s “people.” According to Rand, “they said they’d tell him, they did not.”

Finally, thanks to gossip column Page Six, Fraser actually did see what was happening. And he immediately called Rand.

“My phone rang as I was reading the piece, a 212 area code, I answered to thank the girl, but a man answered and he said. ‘Is this Dave Rand?’ I said ‘Yes,’” he wrote. “’This is Brendan Fraser, what the f**k is going on?’”

Rand continued, “He had no idea that artists were not paid on his movie. He listened intently, asked a lot of questions and promised he would call me regularly until this was solved.”

Fraser publicly campaigned for the artist, starting with a tell-all with The Post. Two years later, the crew got 80% of what they were owed.

Rand concluded with perhaps the world’s most accurate statement:

“Brendan Fraser is a righteous dude.”

#BrendanFraser is a righteous dude.

In November 2007 our paychecks stopped. I was the FX lead on #JourneyToTheCenterOfTheEarth for Meteor Studios in Montreal and was asked to convince my crew to stay and finish the picture with a guarantee we’d all get paid with overtime. We had… https://t.co/DmQUIEAkMQ pic.twitter.com/1jegFlWECd

— Dave Rand (@daverandla) March 13, 2023

It’s all too often that artists do not get paid what they deserve for the work they do. That goes especially for those who work in crafts that aren’t exactly the center of attention. Fraser using his celebrity to offer these people some leverage in a dire situation is reason #132 why he’s seriously the coolest guy in Hollywood.

Prior to the season, not many would’ve circled Bucks-Kings on the calendar in March and expected it to produce one of the more intense and exciting games of the season, but that’s what we got in Sacramento on Monday night.

The top-seed in the East and the three-seed in the West went toe-to-toe, with Milwaukee coming back from a double digit deficit to win the game 133-124, but not before some fireworks in the final minute. After a physical game, Giannis Antetokounmpo was dribbling the clock out when he cut across the court towards the Bucks bench in front of Trey Lyles. Lyles decided to reach in and try to poke the ball away, fouling Giannis and then shoving him away.

Brook Lopez took exception to that and got in Lyles face, which led to Lyles mushing Lopez’s face and sparking a brawl. Lyles appeared to have his hand on Lopez’s neck while Brook had a firm grip of Lyles’ head that he would not let go of, pushing Lyles and a pile of bodies onto the scorers table as everyone tried to pry and incensed Lopez away.

Lopez had been running hot for a bit, as he had taken a shot to the eye that had him bleeding earlier in the fourth and that fire was still smoldering when Lyles put his hand in his face and that led to Brook snapping. Lopez is a very large individual and it took a lot of people to separate the two, with Lopez eventually getting escorted back to the Bucks bench. You don’t often see the Bucks center get that mad, but he and Lyles both earned their ejections just prior to the end of the game, with Milwaukee coming out ahead with the win.

Latto can’t help but be a constant topic across social media. Instead of fighting it, the “Lottery” rapper is learning to change the tide of the online chatter to fit her needs. Whether she’s putting her cooking skills on full display each and every Sunday evening for her Soul Food Sundays segment on TikTok or just taking a moment to chat with fans, the entertainer manages to fit in some time to browse online in between her recording sessions for her forthcoming projects.

Now, the musician is using her latest guest feature on Chicago rapper Mello Buckzz’s song “Mouskatool” to subtly clap back haters. Back in January, Latto went head-to-head with an online troll that accused her of wearing the same cheetah print panties. After recording a video of her intimates drawer, revealing her dozens of both washed and unopened leopard print undies, Latto took it a step further by listing the underwear she was photographed in on eBay. Before the listing was removed for violating the site’s used garment policy, it garnered over $100k in bids.

However, bringing the moment full circle, during the video shot for “Mouskatool,” proudly sports another cheetah print thong as her designer denim jeans sit halfway off of her voluptuous derriere. Although Latto doesn’t mention the panties directly, she holds nothing back as she twerks for the film crew, putting the article of clothing on full display.

Watch the clips below.

Unknown Mortal Orchestra are preparing to release the double album V. Singles “Layla,” “I Killed Captain Cook,” “Nadja,” “That Life,” and “Weekend Run” have all been shared so far and portray an exciting record, and today they’ve unveiled the newest one, “Meshuggah.”

“Meshuggah” is an idiosyncratic glimpse of the record, with a buzzy atmosphere and distorted vocals from bandleader Ruban Nielson: “I know what people say / And I know much sweeter days / And I know I’m out of my mind / Darlin’ reach out to me.” Sonically and lyrically, it feels spiritual: “Your enemies are fierce and foul / Energy is peace and power / Darling only know / You give meshuggah,” he sings.

In a statement about the LP, Nielson said, “In Hawaii, everything shifted off of me and my music. Suddenly, I was spending more time figuring out what others need and what my role is within my family. I also learned that things I thought were true of myself are bigger than I thought. My way of making mischief – that’s not just me — that’s my whole Polynesian side. I thought I was walking away from music to focus on family, but the two ended up connecting.”

Listen to “Meshuggah” above.

V is out 3/17 via Jagjaguwar. Pre-order it here.

This year’s Oscars were a feel-good, slap-free affair, short on controversy or shocks. Even a lot of the wins were straight-up heartwarming. Not all was peaceful. Some didn’t care for host Jimmy Kimmel’s odd Robert Blake joke. The In Memoriam segment featured a ton of glaring omissions. One of the strangest things happened before the red show, on the red carpet, when a reporter tried — and failed — to get Hugh Grant to care about being interviewed. Now she’s responding.

The erstwhile Paddington baddie was very clearly not in the mood for light banter when engaged by model-turned-red carpet interviewer Ashley Graham. She asked him some very basic awards show questions. He was powerfully disinterested. When asked what he likes about attending the Oscars, he stammered for several seconds, then made some vaguely sarcastic to Thackeray’s Vanity Fair. Was he rooting for anyone to win? Nope. Who was he wearing? “I can’t remember my tailor,” he replied. What about being in Glass Onion? He pointed out that he was in it for about three seconds.

Throughout the encounter, Graham was a trooper, consistently pleasant with him, and she gave him four tries before politely sending him on his way. When asked about the run-in by TMZ the following day, she had a succinct response. “You know what, my mama told me to kill people with kindness,” she replied. “So there you go.”

Lesson being: If Hugh Grant clearly doesn’t want to talk to you, just take the high road, smile, and try to let him ditch you as soon as it’s polite to do so.

(Via TMZ and The Daily Beast)

When someone wins a Powerball lottery jackpot, they aren’t the only ones who get a cash prize. The store that sells the winning ticket also receives a cash bonus for selling the winning ticket. The amount of the reward varies depending on the state and the total amount of the lottery, but it can end up being a significant chunk of change.

On February 6, a Fred Meyer store in Auburn, Washington, sold the winning ticket for the $754.6 million Powerball jackpot—the fifth largest Powerball amount ever seen. As a bonus for selling the ticket, the Fred Meyer store received a check for $50,000.

But instead of pocketing the cash, the Kroger-owned store turned around and gave it to the Auburn Food Bank.

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The donation was made in honor of the company’s Zero Hunger | Zero Waste program, which includes a goal to donate 3 billion meals to local communities by 2025. According to the City of Auburn, that $50,000 will provide approximately 66,000 meals in the area.

Naturally, the food bank was grateful to the Fred Meyer store for the unexpected gift.

“Hunger and food insecurity are critical issues across the state and partnerships like this one with Fred Meyer and QFC aim to shrink the numbers of people facing food insecurity,” Debbie Christian, executive director of the Auburn Food Bank, told KING5 News.

Despite passing along the entirety of the lottery reward, employees of the Fred Meyer store will still benefit from the sale of the winning ticket, thanks to their generous company headquarters.

“It’s always good to give back and today everyone wins,” Fred Meyer President Todd Kammeyer said in a statement. “In addition to this donation, Fred Meyer is giving $10,000 to the store for our associates to celebrate.”

As for the winner of the $754.6 million jackpot? Well, she has a fun story, too.

Becky Bell is a supply chain analyst for The Boeing Company, which just delivered its last 747 jumbo jet at the end of January. Bell has worked for the aircraft giant for 36 years and was planning to retire in June. When she saw that the Powerball estimate was $747 million while on a trip to the store with her daughter on February 5, she took it as a sign.

“That’s when it hit me…I had to buy one more ticket,” said Bell, according to a Washington Lottery press release.

That second ticket she bought was the sole winner of the jackpot, which ended up being over $7 million more than the estimated $747 million. But at first, she didn’t know. When she scanned her ticket and it said it was a winner, all she knew was that she had won at least $600, “which was pretty exciting,” she said. She’d never won more than $20 in her life.

Then she checked the numbers and realized she had all of them—the whole jackpot. She had to call her daughters, sisters and mom to double, triple and quadruple-check that she had the right numbers.

“The funny thing was my mom misheard me when I told her how much I won,” said Bell, who said she would help take care of her family members. “She said ‘Seven million…that’s great, honey. Everyone can have a million.’ Then I had to say, ‘No, mom, seven HUNDRED million dollars. Pretty soon, everyone was crying.”

After choosing to receive her winnings in one lump sum instead of gradual payments over 29 years, Bell will take home almost $309.5 million. She has moved her retirement date up to the end of March, staying on long enough to finish training her replacement at Boeing.

So much winning all around.

Joshua Bassett‘s breakup with pop powerhouse Olivia Rodrigo was not an easy one. Last year, he opened up about how being linked to her massive 2021 hit “Drivers License” led to his hospitalization for septic shock. “I was sleeping 16 to 20 hours a day,” he explained. “I couldn’t even stand up for longer than 30 seconds.”

Suffice to say that Bassett has dealt with a lot of intrusive fans attacking him online. Unfortunately, it looks like things aren’t getting much better. Pop Crave on Twitter shared a clip of a heckler at his show yelling, “F*ck Olivia!” Even if this was intended to be in support of Bassett, it’s blatantly rude, especially considering Bassett was in the middle of a slow, emotional song. He reacted by shaking his head and rolling his eyes, not even pausing in his singing.

In a 2021 interview, Bassett discussed the difficulty of being in the middle of drama between Rodrigo and Sabrina Carpenter. “[Everyone] is asking me about Sabrina [Carpenter] and Olivia. Why don’t we focus on these women for who they are?” he said. “Let’s focus on the art that they’re making and how great they are instead of their relationship to a boy.”

Joshua Bassett is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Avril Lavigne is all for public displays of affection, as shown in her recent paparazzi-captured makeout session with her current boyfriend and rapper Tyga. Hell, the rock singer is also here for the dismantling of the patriarchy and social norms. But one very interesting individual took things a little too far tonight during the 2023 Juno Awards.

The annual music ceremony presented by the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences was supposed to be all about celebrating the country’s top musical acts. As Lavigne, who’s a Canadian native, took the stage during the ceremony, her speech was interrupted by what appeared to be a crazed fan. Initially, the musician didn’t take action. However, after realizing the topless woman was a protestor, she screamed at the activist to “get the f*ck off” of the stage before security swiftly escorted her off.

Watch the full cringey exchange below.

Now, more information has been released about the gatecrasher. The topless woman was streaking for a cause, to protest Ontario’s development of the previously protected Greenbelt land as the phrases ‘Save the Greenbelt’ and ‘Land Back’ was seen written on their body.

No further information is available regarding the protestor at this time.

Last year, “Weird Al” Yankovic wowed audiences with his biopic Weird: The Al Yankovic Story, which starred the one and only Daniel Radcliffe. In light of the excitement, Yankovic was at the center of a crude Family Guy Joke where he had a dirty song called “Eat It,” a spoof of Michael Jackson’s “Beat It.”

Another classic cartoon couldn’t help but bring in Yankovic, though in a much more wholesome manner. In an episode of The Simpsons called “Hostile Kirk Place” that premiered last night (March 12), Yankovic is going hard on the accordion in the iconic living room as the family gathers around him and dances. When he finishes, they applaud him. “So,” he says, “can I stay for dinner?” Homer crosses his arms and simply answers: “No.”

Yankovich shared the clip on Twitter, writing in the caption, “I’ve been a huge fan of @TheSimpsons since 1989, but in my completely unbiased opinion, I have to say this is the best couch gag they’ve ever done.” Ah yes, completely unbiased!

Yankovic is no stranger to The Simpsons. This was not even his first time appearing in the show; he was also in an episode on an earlier season called “Three Gays of the Condo,” as well as “That ’90s Show.”