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The Green Bay Packers were eliminated from the playoffs on Sunday night by the Detroit Lions, as Detroit’s 20-16 win ensured neither NFC North squad would be heading to the postseason after Seattle’s win earlier in the day.

It was a tight game throughout, with the Lions emerging on top thanks to a late touchdown drive that got some assistance towards the end by one of the most bizarre unsportsmanlike conduct penalties of the season. After D’Andre Swift got clobbered at the 10 yard line, the Lions training staff trotted out on the field to tend to the running back. As a third member of the staff got to him, Packers rookie Quay Walker was standing over Swift and the trainer had to push past him to get in to check on him. Walker then gave the trainer a two-handed shove in the back, earning a 15-yard penalty and an ejection that had everyone, from Packers coach Matt LaFleur to the NBC booth stunned at what they’d seen.

That penalty pushed the Lions down to the five yard line for first-and-goal, and they would eventually punch it in for the game-winning score as Walker had to leave the field. On Monday morning, Walker took to Twitter to own up to what was a low moment for him and apologize to the Lions training staff, his team, and Packers fans for his costly penalty.

Walker was seen distraught in the tunnel as he left the field and he also explained that it wasn’t anger at the call, but anger with himself over making a dumb decision and costing himself a chance to have a role in the outcome of the game.

It’s clear that Walker feels awful about what happened and seems well aware of how stupid that push was. He’s an incredibly talented young player and hopefully he’ll have plenty of chances to erase this as the standout memory of his Packers tenure thus far. He also hopefully won’t be scapegoated as the reason the Packers lost that game, as there were plenty of mistakes made by the team, including a couple bad interceptions thrown by Aaron Rodgers, that played just as large a role in falling short of the playoffs.

Three weeks after being found guilty of assault in the shooting of Megan Thee Stallion (as well as two other charges) and facing up to 20 years in prison, Tory Lanez has reportedly tapped a new defense lawyer for his upcoming appeal. According to Meghann Cuniff (aka “Meghann Thee Reporter,” as fans dubbed her for her coverage during the trial), Lanez traded in George Mgdesyan for David Kenner, who previously represented Death Row co-founder Suge Knight and Snoop Dogg.

“Regarding Tory Lanez’s Tuesday court date, yes, there is a date listed on the jail roster,” Cuniff wrote on Twitter. “It’s not on Judge Herriford’s calendar, and he’s got a bunch of other stuff at the time. Attorney David Kenner confirmed to me last week he’s now representing Tory.” In a follow-up tweet, she noted that while Kenner is an experienced defender, “he’s joining the case a bit late: Before trial would have been better.”

She was careful to point out that “everything we’re discussing here is standard and expected post-conviction litigation – asking judge to reduce to misdemeanors, requesting new trial based on perceived issues with evidence/witnesses – but David Kenner only recently got on the case. Give it time.” She also confirmed that Tory’s January 10 hearing is to formalize the switch to Kenner.

What Cuniff didn’t point out (but hinted at) is that Mgdesyan turned out to be a bit of a disaster for Tory’s defense. A witness called to help clear Tory of firing the shots that wounded Megan Thee Stallion (or at least cast doubt as to whether Tory or Kelsey Harris, Megan’s friend who was with them at the time, did so) all but confirmed that the “smaller guy” both held and fired the gun — enough to establish the assault charge and related negligent discharge of a firearm count. Tory was convicted on all three charges (including possession of a firearm in a motor vehicle).

And while his supporters, including his father, who blamed the whole thing on Jay-Z for some reason, think Tory was railroaded, in truth, when his own defense lawyer pretty much sealed his fate, it’s hard to argue that anyone is to blame than Tory — whether for shooting at Megan in the first place or for not vetting his representation more thoroughly before the trial.

Megan Thee Stallion is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Over the weekend, The Weeknd commemorated one year of Dawn FM with a video for “Is There Someone Else?.” Coupled with the video’s release was this tweet: “I wonder… Did you know you’re experiencing a new trilogy?” Before we walk with The Weeknd into an enticing future, there’s reason to revisit his past.

Billboard revealed its newest Hot 100 chart (dated January 14) today, January 9. It’s unsurprisingly that Taylor Swift’s “Anti-Hero” has returned to No. 1 for a seventh total week after debuting there in late October, but it is surprising to see The Weeknd’s 2016 Starboy hit “Die For You” at No. 8 — which is now his 16th top-10 single on the chart.

“The Weeknd’s ‘Die for You’ vaults 26 to 8 on the Hot 100, led by 67.3 million in airplay audience (up 3%) and 9.9 million streams (up 10%),” the publication additionally relayed. “The song hits the Hot 100’s top 10 over six years after its original release on The Weeknd’s album Starboy, sparked by interaction on TikTok (which does not presently contribute to Billboard‘s charts). That buzz helped lead to the song’s airplay promotion and prominence, as the track holds at its No. 4 Radio Songs high.”

The Weeknd owns six career No. 1 Hot 100 singles, including the record-breaking “Blinding Lights” and “Starboy” (the latter featuring Daft Punk). Fellow Starboy track “I Feel It Coming” (also featuring Daft Punk) peaked at No. 4 on the chart.

“Die For You” isn’t the only The Weeknd song in this week’s Hot 100 top 10, either. His collaborative track “Creepin’” with Metro Boomin and 21 Savage, off of Metro Boomin’s December No. 1 album Heroes & Villains, sits at No. 6. It peaked at No. 5 last month.

There’s no denying that Hugh Jackman gets absolutely jacked whenever it’s time for him to strap on the claws for Wolverine, the role that literally made him a star. You can see it right on the screen that the guy gets super ripped, and his upcoming appearance in Deadpool 3 will be no exception. However, as much as Jackman loves playing the rage-filled mutant, he doesn’t love the part enough to risk using steroids to muscle up for the role.

While talking to CNN’s Chris Wallace, Jackman made it clear that he gets bulked up the natural way so that everything remains, um, intact. Via Entertainment Weekly:

“No,” Jackman said when asked about steroid use on Sunday’s episode of Who’s Talking to Chris Wallace. “I love my job, and I love Wolverine. I got to be careful what I say here, but I had been told anecdotally what the side effects are of that. And I was like, ‘I don’t love it that much.’ So no, I just did it the old school way.”

Unfortunately, Jackman’s workout plan does involve eating an unholy amount of chicken. “I’m so sorry to all the vegans and vegetarians and to the chickens of the world,” Jackman said. “Literally the karma is not good for me. If the deity has anything related to chickens, I’m in trouble.”

According to Jackman, he’s got six months to get ripped for Deadpool 3, and eating mountains of chicken aside, he’s excited to return to the character after seemingly ending his run with the critically acclaimed Logan.

“There’s also a dynamic that I’ve never really got to do before as Wolverine and I just thought this is gonna be fun, something I’ve never done before,” Jackman told Wallace. “And I can’t wait.”

(Via Entertainment Weekly)

On the first Billboard Hot 100 chart of 2023, Mariah Carey’s “All I Want For Christmas Is You” was still the No. 1 song in the country. Now, though, we have some clear distance from the holiday season, as it’s been over a week since New Year’s Eve/Day. Sure enough, the Christmas songs have left the charts and things are starting to look less festive: On the new chart dated January 14, Taylor Swift’s “Anti-Hero” returns to the top spot for the seventh total week.

The song, which rose from No. 8 on last week’s rank, is now tied for the longest-running No. 1 of Swift’s career, as “Blank Space” also racked up seven total weeks at No. 1, in 2014 and 2015.

Elsewhere in the top 10, Sam Smith and Kim Petras’ former leader “Unholy” is back up to No. 2, while SZA’s “Kill Bill” has returned to its previously achieved peak at No. 3. Also notable is David Guetta and Bebe Rexha’s “I’m Good (Blue)” reaching a new high at No. 4 (its first time in the top 5), as well as The Weeknd’s 2016 Starboy cut “Die For You” climbing to No. 8, hitting the top 10 for the first time over six years after its initial release.

As for Carey, “Christmas” has fallen off the Hot 100 entirely this week. It’s the only song to ever go from No. 1 to off the chart completely and it’s now done so three times (previously doing so after the 2019 and 2021 holiday seasons).

Workaholics was one of Comedy Central’s biggest hits in the 2010s, running for seven seasons and launching the careers of Adam DeVine, Blake Anderson, Anders Holm, and Jillian Bell. The show, which wrapped up in 2017, was going to be turned into a movie on Paramount Plus, until the streaming service decided it didn’t fit into their “global” strategy. I’d argue people hating their dead-end jobs is a global experience, but alas.

“Welp, Paramount + decided to cancel the Workaholics movie. Obviously, this news is the loosest butthole. We were supposed to begin filming in 5 weeks! P+ told us don’t fit their new ‘global’ strategy…” DeVine wrote on Instagram. “We are deeply butt hurt about this decision because we were so excited to bring the weird one last time.”

The Righteous Gemstones star continued:

“I’m butt hurt that I don’t get to work with my best friends again. I’m butt hurt for the fans, and I’m butt hurt for our loyal crew, and other cast members who are now going to have to scramble to find new jobs. We are out to other streamers, and hopefully we will get to make this insanely fun movie somewhere else.”

If only there was a squad that could save Workaholics: The Movie…

(Via Indiewire)

Even though Don Cheadle is an award-winning celebrated actor, it wasn’t smooth sailing to land a Marvel role. It’s a hefty commitment, after all. Still, when Cheadle got the call that Marvel wanted him to play James Rhodes in Iron Man 2, he only had the length of one laser tag game in order to make the decision. Does this sound a bit like a Disney Channel Original Moie premise to you? Maybe! But it happened.

While reflecting on the character, Cheadle told GQ that he almost didn’t land it due to some poorly-timed phone calls. “I was at my kid’s laser tag birthday party. They called me and said, ‘This is what’s happening and we’re giving you the offer. If you don’t say yes then we’re going to the next person. This is going to happen very fast,’” Cheadle recalled. He then said he was given an hour to decide, which gave him enough time to destroy the competition at his child’s birthday party.

He added, “So we played laser tag for two hours and I was talking to my wife and we thought about it and talked to my agent and tried to get as much information as we could.” Of course, early on in Marvel’s beginning phases, they probably didn’t know where the franchise was going, but this was around the time of Iron Man 2, when Marvel was really getting its bearings.

The Marvel team reportedly told him: “It’s going to be these ‘Avengers’ and this is what it is, so you have to say yes or no…this is what it is and you’ve got an hour.” Obviously, Cheadle took the role and went on to play Rhodes/War Machine in six Marvel films and multiple shows.

Next up, Cheadle will lead Armor Wars, his own Marvel film. It’s really good he decided to take that call, though maybe it was bad for his flourishing laser tag career. We will never know.

(Via IndieWire)

If you’re attracted to red flags, then this may be the song for you. (Or if you’re a Monbebe whose been waiting for new Monsta X, this is obviously for you.)

Almost a year since releasing their last album Shape Of Love, Monsta X made their long-awaited return with their twelfth EP, Reasons, and lead single “Beautiful Liar” today (January 9). Carrying powerful and addictive electric guitar riffs on a bed of pop and rock instrumentals, “Beautiful Liar,” co-written by members Hyungwon, Joohoney, and I.M, “expresses the reason for love being found in the most extreme and dangerous relationships” according to an official press release.

Donning in red and black outfits, with scenes surrounding themselves in everything toxic (peep the sets with shards of glass, thick ropes, and chains), Monsta X has successfully executed, and perhaps introduced, the walking red flag concept in K-pop with “Beautiful Liar.”

In addition, the latest EP signifies Hyungwon, Joohoney and I.M initiative as producers as they explore a “diverse variation of genres.” Released under Starship Entertainment, this marks the group’s first comeback since contract renewals, including member I.M’s leave from the label but not the group.

Check out the full tracklist to Monsta X’s 12th EP, Reasons, below.

1. “Beautiful Liar”
2. “Daydream”
3. “Crescendo”
4. “Lone Ranger”
5. “Deny”
6. “It’s Okay”

Gracie Abrams cried “real tears” when Taylor Swift called “Wish You Were Sober” by Conan Gray, Uproxx’s August 2022 cover star, a “masterpiece” in March 2020. Now, Abrams is set to serve as one of the openers on Swift’s The Eras Tour, which starts on March 17 at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. Abrams will have a bunch of new material to perform, too.

Today, January 9, Abrams announced that her debut studio album Good Riddance will drop on February 24, and then, she’s embarking on a headlining tour of her own. It all begins this Friday, January 13, with lead single “Where Do We Go Now?”

“It’s difficult to imagine these songs living anywhere other than my most secret places, but @aarondessner reminded me that holding space for brutal honesty in songwriting is kind of the whole point,” Abrams wrote on Instagram alongside the presumed cover art. “I feel an unbelievable amount of gratitude for the opportunity to have made this album. Writing this record allowed me to grow up in ways I needed to. It forced me to reflect and be accountable. It allowed me to walk away from versions of myself that I no longer recognized. It allowed me to let go.”

She continued, “There will never be enough words to describe the gift that is Aaron’s friendship. He is one of the very few people in this world capable of making others feel safe to their core when they are exploring the parts of themselves that are most raw. He is rare and generous. Thank you all for your support. I’m so nervous. I’m so relieved. I hope with my whole heart that there’s something in here that makes you feel less alone. I’ll be thanking you all for the rest of my life for taking this record and making it yours. FEBRUARY 24TH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! AHHH.”

The Good Riddance Tour is scheduled to start its 17-date North American run on March 7 in Chicago. Tickets will go on public sale this Friday beginning at 10 a.m. local time. Fans can additionally sign up here to gain early access tomorrow, January 10.

Abrams and Dessner, acclaimed founder of The National and favored Swift collaborator, previously worked together on her 2021 EP This Is What It Feels Like. Last April, Abrams released the acoustic-driven, introspective single “Block Me Out,” produced by and co-written with Dessner. “Difficult” followed in October, also produced by Dessner.

Good Riddance is out 2/24 via Interscope Records. Pre-save it here.

Someone should do a study about conservative and/or kooky politicians (mainly Donald Trump) using recording artists’ music without permission because it really seems like an ongoing, baffling trend. It’s like they do no research into the musicians’ politics or the songs’ meanings before hijacking them for rallies and campaign ads that don’t really do much to endear them to people outside their increasingly contracting bases.

The latest to join this trend is Georgia Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, a well-known far-right conspiracy theorist (and Trump disciple) whose wacky antics have drawn criticism throughout her short tenure in Congress and helped throw the Republican party into complete disarray over its embrace of the tinfoil hat set. In a video posted to her social media, she struts around the Capitol in a red trenchcoat to the tune of Dr. Dre‘s 1999 hit “Still D.R.E.,” apparently connecting the “guess who’s back” ad-lib from the song’s intro to her return to the Capitol after all the shenanigans over the House Speaker vote last week.

Unfortunately, “MTG” didn’t get the song cleared with D.R.E., who lambasted the Congressperson in a statement to TMZ. “I don’t license my music to politicians, especially someone as divisive and hateful as this one,” he reportedly said. While he didn’t reveal if he was taking legal action as many of his peers have (although I wouldn’t be surprised to see a DMCA takedown forthcoming), it’s pretty clear he isn’t happy to be even tangentially associated with someone who was removed from literally all her committee roles by a unanimous vote from Democrats and 11 of her own party members.