The Main Street Armory in Rochester, New York recently became notorious after a crowd surge incident following a GloRilla concert on Sunday (March 3) resulted in fatal injuries to two concertgoers. On Wednesday, Rochester police revoked the venue’s entertainment license after its owners failed to appear at a meeting with the Rochester Police Department’s Licensing Unit. According to Rolling Stone, the venue had already developed a local reputation for being a “deathtrap,” and police called the move a step to prevent further tragedies.
The incident on Sunday was apparently prompted by false reports of gunfire within the venue. As the crowd pushed toward the exits, ten people were injured. Two women — Rhondesia Belton and Brandy Miller — died from their injuries. The incident came at a time when concert security is under higher scrutiny in the wake of the Astroworld Festival disaster in 2021, which resulted in 10 deaths, hundreds of injuries, and nearly 1,000 lawsuits against the organizers, Live Nation.
GloRilla herself responded to the incident on Monday, writing, “I am devastated & heartbroken over the tragic deaths that happened after Sunday’s show. My fans mean the world to me. Praying for their families & for a speedy recovery of everyone affected.”
I am devastated & heartbroken over the tragic deaths that happened after Sunday’s show. My fans mean the world to me praying for their families & for a speedy recovery of everyone affected
Rochester police chief David Smith said, “It is one step we can immediately take to ensure that the events of Sunday night are not repeated. The bottom line is, lives were lost, and we need to take steps to make sure that no lives are lost in the future if this was indeed something that was preventable.”
Since the Armory’s entertainment license was not renewed, it cannot host events like concerts such as an A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie show scheduled for this Saturday, March 11.
James Gunn has a well-known reputation for shutting down trolls on Twitter, and he recently brought that same energy to Instagram when a “racist” user came at the writer/director for a casting decision in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. It all started when Gunn shared a photo of Chukwudi Iwuji as the classic Marvel Comics villain High Evolutionary. Gunn and Iwuji worked together on the HBO Max Peacemaker series, and that experience prompted Gunn to bring the actor over to his final Marvel project.
Because this is the internet, it didn’t take long for someone to complain, but this particular user took things way too far. Via The Hollywood Reporter:
“Damnit…another white guy they made into a black guy. Why couldn’t they just leave him white or i dont know…pick a different minority? How about Asian or gasp! A Latino? (how many Latinos and Asians in MCU? Like total of 5??) Or make him an Indian or something…because they don’t and won’t, that makes them ‘woke.’”
The user continued, “Next time, a major character (hero/villain) will be a trans or homosexual or non-binary (when in comics they are not). Sad and pathetic. They’re picking based on race and what’s PC and not on acting and what’s established.”
James Gunn was not having it.
“I chose the best actor, period, and the best person for the role,” Gunn responded before calling the commenter out. “I don’t give a sh*t what ethnicity @chukwudi_iwuji is, so stop with your racist presumptions on WHY he was chosen. (And, by the way, he’s playing a guy who’s almost always purple in color.)”
When is the internet going to learn that James Gunn will not let your wild accusations go unanswered? Just talk to the guy who tried to call Gunn a “professional liar.” It didn’t end well for him either.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 hits theaters on May 5, 2023.
Chlöe sat down with Pop Crave to dissect Swarm — specifically, what she hopes viewers garner “about healthy social media use.”
“You know, for me and how I practice being healthy in terms of the social media world, sometimes I have to step away from it,” she said. “It’s such a huge blessing. Because of it, there’s people who know about me, I can connect with my fans online, and that’s how people discovered my sister and I from YouTube. I know I would not be here and be able to do what I love, make money off of it, and live off of it without social media, right?”
She continued, “Now also, with anything good comes bad. People are completely entitled to have any opinions about anything, and I have to come to terms that I can’t please everybody. In everyday life, I just want everyone to feel comfortable, almost to the point where I’ll sacrifice my comfortability. But I think the past year and a half, I’m like, ‘You know what? I know God’s proud of me, I’m proud of me, and I’m just happy people are talking!’”
InfoWars founder Alex Jones couldn’t be expected to realize the errors of his ways after a court ruled that he must pay hundreds of thousands of dollars in damages to Sandy Hook families. He has been claiming that he’s flat broke while passing money to family and friends yet also somehow holding onto Jan. 6 rioters’ guns. He’s also been waving his poor cat around and claiming that the feds want to seize his pet. And he has been boasting that he can’t keep the ladies away, so what’s next on his list of delusions?
Jones has dreamed up his preferred bankruptcy plan in order to stay as flush as possible after the punitive damages in the Sandy Hook verdict. Via Business Insider, his Free Speech Systems LLC has filed paperwork asking for him to regain around 50% of his current salary, meaning that he’d still draw paychecks adding up to over $500,000 per year and still live pretty darn well while based in Austin, Texas. The company also claims that its Instahard virility supplements and fish oil fly off the online racks to the tune of $30 million per year. And Jones argues that he needs an exorbitant salary and other enormous expenses, and under his plan, Sandy Hook families wouldn’t receive much at all, nor would his creditors:
But only around $7 million to $10 million of that money would go to creditors each year, per the plan filed in the Texas Southern Bankruptcy Court, seen by Insider. The rest of the money will be used for the cost of goods and operations expenses, as well as paying $520,000 each to Jones and a potential new chief operating officer.
Both Business Insider and the Associated Press have boiled down the creative accounting of the document, and it looks like his typical brand of fiction. The agreement doesn’t appear like it would stand up to any bankruptcy judge worth their salt, but this is a guy who’s been claiming that he’s broke as hell while still taking home over $1 million per year, so this is par for his course.
Ed Sheeran teased a new album for quite some time before announcing it at the beginning of this month. –, or Subtract, will follow his 2021 LP =. Now, he’s teasing the lead single “Eyes Closed” through TikTok.
In a clip posted to Twitter, Sheeran directs his fans to check out the song on TikTok and encourages them to “make silly videos with it.”
A snippet of the track is available as a TikTok sound here, and he also posted video of guitar- and piano-driven rendition of it. “So I’m dancing with my eyes closed / ‘Cause everywhere I look I still see you / Time is moving so slow / And I don’t know what else that I can do,” he sings. The full song arrives March 24.
A press release explained that the album “revisits Ed’s singer/songwriter roots,” and it helped that he teamed up with The National’s Aaron Dessner for collaboration. “I spent some time sketching these ideas and shared a folder with Ed,” Dessner explained about the experience. “A few months later in the winter of 2021, he started writing to them and sending sometimes multiple song ideas a day, inspired by a very difficult period he was going through in his life.”
– is out 5/5 via Atlantic. Find more information here.
Ed Sheeran is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
Donald Trump, the author of used book store mainstays like Trump: The Art of the Deal and Think BIG and Kick Ass in Business and Life (sample Amazon review: “Don’t waste your money”), is publishing a new literary classic.
Letters to Trump is described as a “colorful photo book captures the incredible, and oftentimes private correspondence, between President Donald J. Trump and some of the biggest names in history throughout the past 40 years.” There are no letters from Tucker Carlson (those are text messages only), but it will include messages from fellow former presidents, including Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan, and Bill Clinton, as well as Princess Diana, Hillary Clinton, Kim Jong-un, Mario Cuomo, Jay Leno, Liza Minnelli, and Regis Philbin.
Letters to Trump will also feature correspondence from Oprah Winfrey, who wrote to Trump in 2000 to tell him that he made her “a little weepy” and that “it’s one thing to try and live a life of integrity — still another to have people like yourself notice.” What did he say to inspire such an emotional reaction?
Former President Trump, in a new book, plans to reveal 150 private letters sent to him — including one from Oprah Winfrey in 2000 in which she says: “Too bad we’re not running for office. What a team!”
Grimes has long been an independent thinker, and lately, she appears to have spent more time pondering big-picture ideas than she has making music (the latter of which is a “side quest” at this point in her life). While explaining that recently, she said she doesn’t want “the attention an album brings,” which lines up with another thought she just shared, about how she’s trying to make herself “less accessible.”
In a tweet shared yesterday (March 8), Grimes wrote, “A / acc (Aligned acceleration)? (Other Ideas ?) How can I convince ye to pursue *all* pillars of acceleration x simultaneously buff alignment research 1000x? (Requesting mentats) (literally),” with “mentats” perhaps referring to the item from the Fallout video games that increases mental capabilities.
A / acc (Aligned acceleration)? (Other Ideas ?)
How can I convince ye to pursue *all* pillars of acceleration x simultaneously buff alignment research 1000x? (Requesting mentats) (literally) pic.twitter.com/nijct7Q6uM
In response, one fan wrote, “Your’e talking above your target audience. Try being normal, it’s not such a bad concept.” To that, Grimes replied, “I don’t have a target audience. A large audience is counter productive and I purposefully seek to make myself infinitely less accessible. I always add the art for ppl who won’t care abt the tweet tho becuz it’s wrong to totally waste ppls time.”
I don’t have a target audience. A large audience is counter productive and I purposefully seek to make myself infinitely less accessible. I always add the art for ppl who won’t care abt the tweet tho becuz it’s wrong to totally waste ppls time
Another user responded, “grimes hope u dont mind a suggestion if u wanna get ur fans onboarded onto the AI hype train give them the context they need to make sense of the AI stuff.” Grimes replied, “Not sure if I shud delete this still? Unclear if big audience helpful vs harmful? happy to make ideas bigger but it can be traumatic for ppl to be exposed to music stan culture with no warning haha.”
Not sure if I shud delete this still? Unclear if big audience helpful vs harmful? happy to make ideas bigger but it can be traumatic for ppl to be exposed to music stan culture with no warning haha – I’ll poll ppl tonight / tomorrow
As for what Grimes means by “alignment,” she wrote in another tweet, “I define alignment as ‘better understanding what’s happening inside the computer mind or better understanding how to optimize it to at least not shorten the life span of bio consciousness too early’ – I think it’s worth discussing ways to make that potentially happen faster or improve synchronization w ai development.”
I define alignment as “better understanding what’s happening inside the computer mind or better understanding how to optimize it to at least not shorten the life span of bio consciousness too early” – I think it’s worth discussing ways to make that potentially happen faster or… https://t.co/RtfeV3hIyP
The Wikipedia page for “Will Smith–Chris Rock slapping incident” has sections for “public apologies,” “alopecia awareness,” and “toxic masculinity and chivalry.” It’s been a wild ride, and it’s still going nearly a year later. In his Netflix comedy special, Rock called the King Richard Oscar winner “Suge Smith,” referring to Suge Knight, and claimed that he “took that hit like [Manny] Pacquiao.” The comedian also said that although he’s enjoyed many of Smith’s movies, “now I watch Emancipation just to see him get whooped.”
Emancipation — Smith’s Apple+ movie that was not the comeback he was hoping for — came up twice during the special, or at least it did if you watched it live. While discussing how Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith were upset with him for hosting the 2016 Oscars, Rock said, “Years ago, his wife said I should quit the Oscars. I shouldn’t host ’cause her man didn’t get nominated for Emancipation, the biggest piece of piece of shit ever!” But that’s not the movie he meant. “No, not Emancipation, I f*cked up the joke,” Rock explained. He meant to call CTE football drama Concussion the big piece of sh*t.
As noted by Decider, “It appears that the mistake has since been edited out of the comedy special.” Here’s the original footage.
The 1997 Halle Berry-starring movie B.A.P.S. has a bit of a complicated legacy, in that it was critically panned upon release but has since become a memorable cult classic. Apparently, there has been talk of a remake, and in a recent interview with Slashfilm, director Robert Townsend said that “everybody from Megan Thee Stallion to Cardi B” has asked for his blessing to remake the film.
Cardi has put a stop to that rumor, though. In a tweet shared earlier today (March 9), Cardi quote-tweeted a post dismissing the rumor and added, “I don’t even know where that rumor even came about….Maybe because we looked soo cute in the Wap video ? …kiss kiss.”
I don’t even know where that rumor even came about….Maybe because we looked soo cute in the Wap video ? …kiss kiss https://t.co/HaL4vG4bSp
In a 2021 interview, Berry reflected on the film’s main characters, Denise “Nisi” and Tamika “Mickey,” saying, “I knew it at the time that they would be beloved, you know? […] It was a real depiction of us in a really beautiful way and it takes one to be one, to know one, to understand it really, you know what I mean? […] I get so much more love for Boomerang and B.A.P.S. now than I ever did at the time.”
B.A.P.S. is truly iconic and ahead of its time in every way. @halleberry shares why the role of Nisi became so important to the culture.
(WARNING: Spoilers for this week’s Bel-Air episode will be found below.)
Most of the main characters on Bel-Air faced big tests in this season’s second episode. Season two of the series continued last week with Will ruffling feathers with his basketball. He placed his personal goals above that of the team, and though they were winning, his connection with them withered away with each possession. Hilary and Jazz faced new issues in their young relationship, which they were able to work out, but that wasn’t so much the case with her and Ivy’s complicated business relationship. Carlton is called to step up to the plate for the right cause, but internal doubts and a struggle to choose a side make it harder for him to make the best decision for himself. For some, things got better and for others, things stayed the same, but for the rest, the worst had yet to come.
For the third episode in season two of Bel-Air, titled “Compromise,” Will and Carlton go through with their plans to hold a school protest for Mrs. Hughes at Bel-Air Academy. While Will wants to proceed full-stream ahead with the protest, Carlton is a bit hesitant due to warnings from a fellow teacher. Though, his desire to do something right, and also impress his new crush Yazmin, make for a tough decision that leads to a concerning breakdown at the end of the episode. Elsewhere, Hilary and Ivy continue to but heads as leaders of the influencer house and it leads to Hilary going against Ivy to make a decision that she sees is best for the house. Elsewhere, there are new developments in Phil and Geoffrey’s somewhat repaired friendship, while Will and Lisa’s love story might not be over.
Here are some of the biggest takeaways that we have after season two’s third episode, “ Compromised”:
Will And Lisa Have Unfinished Business
I know you saw it! The sparks are still flying between Will and Lisa. If things go as they did in the original series, we can expect the two to be together sooner than later, but for now, let’s just focus on the reboot. In episode three, Will and Lisa run into each other in the hallways of Bel-Air Academy as Lisa checks to make sure that it’s okay that she comes to the Bank mansion to help with the protest for Mrs. Hughes. It’s an awkward, yet sweet moment between the two that leads to Lisa checking in on Carlton and seeing what’s up with the new and more confident Will. Sure, it’s only been a couple of episodes since Will called for a break in their relationship, but if you thought the romance between them was gone, this scene showed that it’s still alive — even if it’s to a small degree.
The Hilary And Ivy Chronicles Will Get Worse Before They Get Better
We saw this coming from the beginning of the season. Hilary and Ivy have yet to be on the same page since teaming up to take over the influencer house. Ivy is focused on using the house to push her brand, while Hilary wants to outsource and use the talent in the influencer house to bring in big brands that will elevate her and the house. In “Compromised,” Hilary and Ivy’s business relationship worsens when Hilary struggles to get Ivy to hear her out about a deal with the Simply Spiked team. When Hilary finally gets a hold of Ivy, her proposal for the drink deal is turned down in favor of Ivy’s desire to focus solely on her “H2Ivy” drink. A frustrated Hilary decides to go ahead and make the deal despite Ivy’s decision. It won’t end well, but we’ll just have to wait and see how things pan out between the two. Surely though, it’ll only get worse before it gets better.
Peacock
Phil And Geoffrey Don’t Trust Each Other
Geoffrey is back in the Banks mansion, and while things appear normal, that is far from the case. In this season’s fourth episode, Geoffrey is in Phil’s office looking for something in the desk’s drawers. He even goes as far as to try and access a password-protected file on Phil’s computer. His search is cut short when Phil enters the room, but things get even odder after Geoffrey exits. When Geoffrey is gone, Phil nervously checks his desk and his laptop. Look, it doesn’t take the smartest person in the room to realize Phil has something that he’s hiding from Geoffrey, and Geoffrey is determined to find it. The overarching note is that despite the duo patching things up from their season one fallout, Phil and Geoffrey don’t fully trust each other.
Will Doesn’t Understand Carlton As Much As He Should
Before this episode in the Bel-Air series, Will didn’t seem to be privy to the anxiety issues that Carlton is dealing with. However, in “Compromised,” Phils pulls Will aside and asks him to keep an eye on Carlton. It comes after Phil and Vivian decided to lower Carlton’s anxiety medication dosage. Even with this, Will seems to brush aside the severity of this conversation by saying everything that Carlton does is weird. Though Phil and Will come to an understanding, Will seems to prioritize his own wishes over paying attention to signs of any issues with Carlton. Will pushes Carlton to lead the protest for Mrs. Hughes despite his discomfort. There are pressures from both sides on Carlton. The BSU wants him to deliver the speech, while some teachers and administration want him to reel in the protest. Instead of relieving these pressures, Will added to them by making Carlton go through with the plan without attending to his concerns and hesitance. The only hope is that Will realizes the reason behind Carlton’s towering stress at the end of the episode. Furthermore, the hope is that Will will be more attentive to Carlton in the future so they can be the strong and unified duo they both want to be.
New episodes of ‘Bel-Air’ are available Peacock on Thursdays at 5:01 am EST/ 2:01 am PST.
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praying for their families & for a speedy recovery of everyone affected
(@GloTheofficial) March 7, 2023
…kiss kiss 
