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Gardner Minshew Will Start Against The Cowboys Due To Jalen Hurts’ Shoulder Injury

The Philadelphia Eagles need one more win to wrap up the NFC East and the No. 1 seed in the conference, and their first opportunity to do just that will come on Saturday afternoon against the Dallas Cowboys. The team will head into that game with their backup signal caller under center, though, as head coach Nick Sirianni announced on Thursday morning that Gardner Minshew will start the game.

“Gardner will be our guy and Gardner will be ready,” Sirianni said, per ESPN. “Gardner worked his butt off for this opportunity against a really good football team. He had a great practice [Wednesday].”

Minshew will get the start because of an injury to starting QB Jalen Hurts, who hurt his shoulder in the third quarter of the team’s win over the Chicago Bears this past Sunday. Hurts, the favorite to be named NFL MVP prior to his injury, “did everything he possibly could to get his body ready to go,” according to Sirianni.

Minshew has thrown 64 passes in his two seasons as a member of the Eagles, and has completed 67.2 percent of his attempts with four touchdowns and one interception. Philly and Dallas played earlier this season in Philadelphia, with the Eagles picking up a 26-17 win.

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Billie Eilish’s Birthday Photo Gallery Shows Off Her Festive Santa Outfit And A Sweet Jesse Rutherford Moment

I’m sorry, but the pun is right there to be made: Billie Eilish is happier than ever. The seven-time Grammy winner (and Oscar winner) staged three triumphant shows at the Kia Forum in her hometown Los Angeles last week. The first featured a cameo from Labrinth. Across her weekend shows, she was joined by Dave Grohl, Phoebe Bridgers, and Childish Gambino.

On Sunday, December 18, Eilish turned 21. That called for a star-studded Hollywood party attended by the likes of the Biebers, Avril Lavigne, Doja Cat, Kendall Jenner, Lil Nas X, Noah Cyrus, Olivia Rodrigo, and her boyfriend, Jesse Rutherford.

Eilish posted photos from the bash to Instagram. The carousel captures her in a festive Santa costume next to Rutherford in a matching red sweater, and the happy new couple posing in a photo booth with the Biebers — something a younger Billie would have died for.

Eilish confirmed her relationship with Rutherford, The Neighbourhood lead singer, during her sixth annual “Same Interview” with Vanity Fair, posted in late November.

“Yeah, I do, and it’s really cool. I’m really excited, and I’m really happy about it,” Eilish said in response to whether she had a boyfriend. “I managed to get my life to a point where I not only was known by a person that I thought was the hottest f*ckin’ f*cker alive but pulled his ass. Are we kidding me? Can we just [claps] — round of applause for me? Thank you. Jesse Rutherford, everyone. I pulled his ass. All me. I did that sh*t. I locked that motherf*cker down.”

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Kyrsten Sinema Has A Whopping 37-Page Guide Of Diva Demands (Including Grocery Runs) For Her Staffers

No stranger to controversy, Kyrsten Sinema is under scrutiny for reportedly issuing her government staffers a 37-page guide full of diva demands like ensuring she always has room temperature water and ensuring she never, ever has the middle seat on a flight. The Arizona senator, who recently changed her party affiliation from Democrat to Independent in a blatant move to stave off a primary challenge, may be in violation of the Senate Ethics Committees for her demands that fall outside of the government-sanctioned tasks for staffers.

According to the Senate ethics handbook, “staff are compensated for the purpose of assisting Senators in their official legislative and representational duties, and not for the purpose of performing personal or other non-official activities for themselves or on behalf of others.”

We’re guessing Sinema’s demands do not fall under that umbrella. Via The Daily Beast:

One section of the staffer guide explains that the senator’s executive assistant must contact Sinema at the beginning of the work week in Washington to “ask if she needs groceries,” and copy both the scheduler and chief of staff on the message to “make sure this is accomplished.” It specifies Sinema will reimburse the assistant through CashApp. The memo also dictates that if the internet in Sinema’s private apartment fails, the executive assistant “should call Verizon to schedule a repair” and ensure a staffer is present to let a technician inside the property.

The guide is yet another damning piece of evidence that Sinema is less concerned with the business of governing and more concerned with the perks of being a United States senator. She has routinely held up legislation for the Democrats to the point where many theorized that she may change her party affiliation to Republican. Instead, she went Independent, which to be frank, is a step in that direction.

(Via The Daily Beast)

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‘Elf’ Is Still A Big Hit At The Box Office, Nearly 20 Years After It Came Out

Like Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas Is You” in the music world, Elf is one of the most recent movies to join the Christmas movie canon. (The most recent: Klaus.) The 2003 film, starring Will Ferrell as Buddy the Elf, the late James Caan, and a distractingly blonde Zooey Deschanel, is also still doing big business in theaters.

Deadline reports that the Alamo Drafthouse made $350,000 in ticket sales for Elf this November and December. It’s also the no talking-no texting chain’s “top all-time repertory title,” with a cumulative gross of $1.5 million. That’s on top of the approximately $220 million worldwide it made during its initial release. Not bad for a movie with a $33 million budget (most of which was spent on spaghetti, M&Ms, and chocolate syrup):

Jeff Goldstein, president of domestic distribution at Warner Bros, called Elf – which has grossed close to $173 million domestically — “one of the evergreen properties that keep doing really strong business.” He expects to end the year with about 3,700 bookings, “not bad for a movie that’s 19 years old.”

Next year, for Elf‘s 20th anniversary, the holiday screenings will be “even bigger.” But don’t expect a sequel any time soon, or ever. “We were gonna do it and I thought, ‘Oh my god, I finally got a franchise movie, I could make some money, let my kids do what the hell they want to do.’ And the director [Jon Favreau] and Will didn’t get along very well,” Caan said in 2020. “So, Will wanted to do it, he didn’t want the director, and he had it in his contract, it was one of those things.”

Instead, Ferrell made a different Christmas movie this year, while Favreau is busy with Star Wars and the MCU. They’re doing fine, if for no other reason than they have nothing to do with 2003’s other (inexplicably beloved) Christmas movie.

(Via Deadline)

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Vladimir Putin Has Finally Admitted That Russia Is Failing Hard At Providing The Most Basic Supplies For Troops In His War

Right in time for Christmas, Vladimir Putin seems to be realizing that he’s sent hundreds of thousands of troops into an untenable Ukraine situation. Far too many of them have already died, and the atmosphere has deteriorated so much that they’re reportedly drunk and shooting each other. The fact that Putin’s been making boozy addresses in a celebratory tone while his soldiers must resort to degraded ammo cannot be helping the situation. It’s also not great that they’re being told (on video) that they’re SOL at treating bullet wounds unless they bring tampons.

This week, Putin announced that he’s pouring unlimited funding into this war, but perhaps some crony told him that he needed to make good on this promise, so he’s talking again. Via the New York Times, Putin finally realized that he needed to get real, and it’s certainly an “unusual” approach for the Russian president:

In an unusual acknowledgment of Russia’s shortcomings in a speech at the Ministry of Defense in Moscow, the Russian leader ticked off a list of areas his military must improve on. He declared that drones must be able to communicate targeting information through encrypted channels “in real time.” He said the military needed to “improve the command and control system” and its ability to strike back at enemy artillery.

And he nodded to the widespread reports of soldiers’ being sent to the front without basic equipment, instructing officers to pay attention to “medical kits, food, dry rations, uniforms, footwear, protective helmets and bulletproof vests.”

Yep, it’s kind-of wild that Putin has sent his economy tanking to take this huge gamble but can’t even muster up fresh ammunition and food (soldiers have been complaining about being forced to eat dog food, for real) during this invasion. Back in Russia, citizens don’t even have paper, so one can expect the public outcry to continue while Putin hides in his bunker for Christmas.

(Via New York Times)

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Paul McCartney Reflected On The ‘Deep’ Sadness He Felt When He Learned About John Lennon’s Death

On December 8, 1980, John Lennon was fatally shot in one of the most famous deaths in music history. Now, The Beatles bandmate Paul McCartney has looked back on that day, revealing his reaction to learning the news.

In a recent interview with SiriusXM’s The Beatles Channel about his 1982 solo album Tug Of War, McCartney explained:

“When John died, it was so difficult. It was difficult for everyone in the world, ’cause he was such a loved character and such a crazy guy. He was so special. And so it had hit me, so much so that I couldn’t really talk about it. I remember getting home from the studio on the day that we’d heard the news he died, and turning the TV on, and seeing people say, ‘Well, John Lennon was this,’ and, ‘What he was was this,’ and, ‘I remember meeting him then.’ It was like, ‘I don’t know, I can’t be one of those people. I can’t just go on TV and say what John meant to me.’ It was just too deep. It [was] just too much. I couldn’t put it into words.”

He then noted that writing the song “Here Today” helped him process Lennon’s passing. The song opens, “And if I said I really knew you well / What would your answer be / If you were here today? / Ooh, ooh, ooh, here today / Well, knowing you / You’d probably laugh and say that we were worlds apart / If you were here today / Ooh, ooh, ooh, here today.”

Listen to McCartney discuss Lennon below.

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Offset Acknowledged It’s ‘Not Easy’ To Go On Without Takeoff In His Latest Heartbreaking Tribute

The holiday season is particularly difficult for people who are grieving, and Offset’s grief is particularly fresh. Takeoff, his cousin and fellow Migos rapper, was fatally shot as an innocent bystander when an altercation allegedly broke out at a private event outside 810 Billiards & Bowling in Houston on November 1. Takeoff was there with Quavo, his uncle and Migos collaborator. The 28-year-old was laid to rest in his native Atlanta on November 11.

In the months leading up to Takeoff’s tragic death, he and Quavo had branched away from Migos to form the duo Unc & Phew, releasing their Only Built For Infinity Links album on October 7. But while Offset and Takeoff had grown apart musically, their personal bond remains unquestionable. Offset shared an open letter to Takeoff in mid-November and has continued to tribute him, even dedicating his Art Basel concert to Takeoff earlier this month.

On Wednesday, December 21 — one week after celebrating his 31st birthday with his wife, Cardi B — Offset again took to Twitter. “Sh*t not easy fake smiling and sh*t tryna keep walking with my head up,” he posted alongside a photo of Takeoff. Offset also tweeted a photo of Takeoff on Monday, December 19.

On December 1, 33-year-old Patrick Xavier Clark was arrested and charged with the murder of Takeoff. Clark’s bond was set at $2 million, as ABC News reported that “prosecutors argued that Clark posed a high flight risk because he had purchased tickets to Mexico two days before his arrest and applied for an expedited passport.” Cameron Joshua, also known as Lil Cam or Lil Cam 5th, was additionally charged in connection to the case. Last week, Clark reportedly filed a motion to reduce his bail to $100,000.

Below, see more of Offset’s heartbreaking posts since Takeoff’s passing.

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Kate Bush Reflects On The ‘Exciting’ Resurgence Of ‘Running Up That Hill’ This Year

With all of these year-end charts and lists, it’s easy to forget that one of the biggest songs of 2022 was from 1985: Kate Bush‘s “Running Up That Hill,” experiencing a resurgence because of its unexpectedly large role in Stranger Things. She touched on the revival again in a new message on her website.

“It’s been a crazy, roller-coaster year for me,” she wrote. “I still reel from the success of RUTH, being the No. 1 track of this summer. What an honor! It was really exciting to see it doing so well globally, but especially here in the UK and Australia; and also to see it making it all the way to No. 3 in the US. It was such a great feeling to see so many of the younger generation enjoying the song. It seems that quite a lot of them thought I was a new artist! I love that!”

In July, she reacted to the Stranger Things finale. “I’ve just watched the last two episodes of Stranger Things and they’re just through the roof,” she wrote. No spoilers here, I promise. I’d only seen the scenes that directly involved the use of the track and so I didn’t know how the story would evolve or build. I was so delighted that the Duffer Brothers wanted to use RUTH for Max’s totem but now having seen the whole of this last series, I feel deeply honored that the song was chosen to become a part of their roller-coaster journey. I can’t imagine the amount of hard work that’s gone into making something on this scale. I am in awe. They’ve made something really spectacular.”

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An Elderly Fella With A WWI Artillery Shell Stuck In His Ass Caused A Bomb Scare At A Hospital In France

Wanting to end your 2022 with a bang is understandable, but an 88-year-old man in France took that sentiment a bit too literally, and ended up causing a bomb scare at a hospital on Saturday evening.

As the New York Post reports, doctors at Toulon’s Hospital Sainte Musse were briefly stunned when an elderly gent arrived with a World War I artillery shell firmly lodged inside his rectum. The staff’s first concern regarding the explosive, which was approximately 8 inches long and more than 2 inches wide, was the safety of their other patients and staff. Concerned that the projectile might still be active, the hospital had to initiate a bomb scare protocol.

“An emergency occurred from 9 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. on Saturday evening that required the intervention of bomb disposal personnel, the evacuation of adult and pediatric emergencies as well as the diversion of incoming emergencies,” a hospital spokesperson stated.

Due to the age of the item, bomb disposal experts guessed that there was little chance it would actually explode while still up his arse. Which is when doctors went to work in an effort to safely remove the object from the old man’s hiney. Unfortunately, this required an emergency surgery, as doctors needed to cut into the man’s abdomen in order to set it free. And they did. Way to go, docs!

While the gentleman did not disclose how a nearly foot-long piece of antique artillery landed halfway up his a**hole, the assumption was that it was for sexual pleasure. Which, yeah, sounds like he had a ball!

“We are used to finding unusual objects inserted where they shouldn’t be,” one doctor explained, and gave apples, mangoes, and a can of shaving cream as examples of other items that you should NOT insert into your anus. “But a shell?,” he continued. “Never!”

Hospital officials report that the surgery was successful and the patient is expected to make a full recovery. His dignity, on the other hand, might need a little time.

(Via New York Post)

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The Most Anticipated Hip-Hop Albums Of 2023

While some of hip-hop’s biggest names made big comebacks in 2022 – and many wound up on Uproxx’s Best Albums of 2022 list – there were a few notable names promising new albums that didn’t quite manage to put anything out before the new year, leaving us with a host of anticipated hip-hop albums for 2023.

After long hiatuses, TDE artists like Kendrick Lamar, Ab-Soul, and SZA all dropped their new albums this year, receiving a warm response from fans and critics alike (Kendrick is on our Best Albums list; Soul and SZA just missed the cutoff). Drake dropped two albums – one very dance oriented and one with 21 Savage – while Megan Thee Stallion addressed her rocky 2021 with a solid second effort.

However, there were a few A-listers whose names were not included in the rolls for the year-end roundups, including Cardi B, Nicki Minaj, and Travis Scott. While we’ll get into the various reasons for their absences below, it’s worth noting that the release schedule was already jam-packed, and having 2023 pretty much wide open can only help them lock down the time and attention their profiles deserve. There are a few rising stars on that list too, including Baby Keem, Doja Cat, and Saweetie. Here are the most anticipated hip-hop albums of 2023.

ASAP Rocky – Don’t Be Dumb

It’s been a minute since we last heard from ASAP Rocky with 2018’s Testing. Since then, he’s become a father, he’s been a hilarious meme, he’s expanding his acting credits, and he’s even starred in a video game. After dropping the new single “Sh*ttin Me” and teasing more Metro Boomin contributions, he finally announced that the album was done with just a few weeks left to go in the year. With a lot to talk about (cough, cough, Sweden) and what sounds like a lot more focused musical direction with Metro’s involvement, Don’t Be Dumb could very well return the Harlem rapper to the top of the charts and reveal new facets of his personality.

Baby Keem

The most mysterious of the bunch, Keem’s the only one who hasn’t outright announced an album. That hasn’t stopped Keem fans from sniffing out any and every available clue that he could be working on one. And given his and cousin Kendrick’s tendency to surface suddenly and without warning, that could be all the reason to be on the lookout for a follow-up to The Melodic Blue sometime in the next 12 months.

Cardi B

Cardi was one of the artists that fans most looked forward to hearing from in 2022, but aside from some inflammatory singles, it wasn’t to be. She did give us “Hot Sh*t” with Kanye West and Lil Durk, which was well-received, but given Kanye’s issues and an inability to promote the song the way she wanted, Cardi moved on from the single fairly quickly. She had better luck with GloRilla’s “Tomorrow 2,” which offered an instant classic Cardi verse, but she later admitted that she’s been feeling a lot of anxiety and pressure from the potential reception of her long-awaited follow-up to Invasion Of Privacy. She did say she wants to get that album out in the new year, though.

Doechii

After an impressive breakout in 2022, TDE’s latest signee still remains a refreshing question mark for the new year. Her EP, She/Her/Black Bitch, showed some promising signs that she’s got a clear direction and isn’t afraid of taking creative risks. And the response to singles like “Persuasive” and “Crazy” indicates that fans may wind up being a bit more receptive to her left-field mashups of hip-hop and house than they were ten years ago when “212” was dominating playlists and sync licensing placements. If nothing else, she’s got the TDE machine on her side, which means that when she does drop, she’ll have the full support of her label, something not every artist gets to enjoy.

Doja Cat

After an absolutely explosive 2021 thanks to Planet Her and its seemingly endless string of fan-favorite hit records, anticipation was high for Doja to follow up her debut. Doja herself was more than happy to feed into that feeling from fans, teasing permutations of the project that included a 9th Wonder-produced rap LP, an R&B album, and even a euro-house edition. However, she was unable to do much recording after having throat surgery, which forced her to pull out of The Weeknd’s After Hours stadium tour and confined her to home for recovery. The content she did share – namely, a lot of selfies of her new bald look – has ironically generated even greater fervor for new music, since she’s clearly feeling newly freed and more creative than ever.

GloRilla

Rap’s undisputed rookie of the year exploded in popularity thanks to her summer smash “F.N.F. (Let’s Go),” but unlike plenty of other viral favorites, she was able to maintain her momentum with follow-ups like “Tomorrow 2” and the … Anyways, Life’s Great EP. Now, more than anything, fans want to see whether her natural charisma can carry a full-length project. She’s got more than enough viral moments over the past year to keep her name red-hot (and comfortingly uncontroversial) and with one of her hometown’s biggest stars giving his backing, it’ll be interesting to see where she ends up next.

Ice Spice

If GloRilla took the crown for the year’s biggest breakout, it’s only because Ice Spice didn’t manage to get her project out under the wire. Like Glo, she saw much of her impact come from the TikTok popularity of a single song: “Munch,” which launched seemingly a million memes and almost got the Cardi B treatment as well. It also drove attention to prior Ice Spice videos like “Name Of Love” and “No Clarity.” The resulting hunger for more of the Spice life led to a follow-up, “Bikini Bottom,” and the New York rapper being put on the fast track to stardom, with Rolling Loud appearances and homage tracks from other artists galore.

J. Cole – The Fall-Off

While Cole has seemingly returned to his self-imposed hibernation from the rap game following a few stints of professional basketball, I don’t think for a second he’s forgotten about his commitment to deliver the magnum opus promised a few years ago at the end of KOD. He’s even said The Off-Season was more of a warm-up (if only he hadn’t already used that name) or practice session, sharpening his tools before attempting to sum up his incredible, decade-long career.

Nicki Minaj

Nicki Minaj maintained a chokehold on the hip-hop discourse this year by sheer force of will (and the efforts of her ever-dedicated fanbase), and with a few strategically-placed singles and guest appearances. In the first half of 2022, she joined forces with rising star Coi Leray on “Blick Blick” (seemingly an extension of her 2021 strategy of teaming up with Doja Cat and finally ending her self-imposed moratorium on collabs with up-and-coming female rappers). Then, she dropped “Super Freaky Girl,” harkening back to her “Anaconda” era to garner her first-ever solo No. 1. She even dropped a remix with a whole peck of rap girlies, extending her influence and driving curiosity to see what other new avenues remain to this venerated veteran.

Saweetie – Pretty Bitch Music

As a track runner in high school, Saweetie probably knows all about having to recover from false starts. Although anticipation for the project may have waned after so many delays, it doesn’t look like Saweetie has given up on herself yet – and that’s the true test, in many ways. In any event, I’m sure there are still plenty of folks who want to hear just what exactly she has had in store after nearly three years of teases. If the new single “Icy Girl, Icy World” is any indication, she could be back on her Sample Saweetie kick, which could mean a return to prominence is just one starter pistol away.

Travis Scott – Utopia

Just about the only rapper whose album we know anything about this year is Travis Scott, who has been quietly biding his time in the wake of the Astroworld Festival disaster last summer. He actually began the rollout for Utopia during Coachella, putting up massive billboards on the way to and from Indio extolling the upcoming project. However, he kicked his promotional efforts into high gear more recently, joining Pharrell on “Down In Atlanta” and making multiple appearances on Metro Boomin’s Heroes & Villains album and SZA’s SOS. While he hasn’t overtly dropped anything from Utopia yet, it looks like he’s building himself back up and testing the waters to make sure it gets just as warm a reception as its predecessor.

Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.