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This past weekend, several Bad Bunny fans were denied entry into his Mexico City shows on December 9 and 10. Several customers claimed they purchased tickets through Ticketmaster, but were turned away at entry. Following the fiasco, Ticketmaster issued a statement via social media, denying an oversell of tickets and claiming that the fans had actually purchased counterfeits.

“As has been reported, on Friday an unprecedented number of fake tickets were presented at the entrance of [Estadio Azteca], purchased outside our official channels,” said Ticketmaster. “In addition to causing confusion among entrance officials, this situation generated a malfunction in our system, which for moments at a time, couldn’t properly identify legitimate tickets. It’s important to underscore that there was no oversale of tickets. Ticketmaster took the technological and logistical measures needed to ensure what happened on Friday would not happen on Saturday.”

Over 1,600 fans were turned away on the December 9 show, and 100 fans were turned away the following night. According to a report from Billboard, Mexico’s Federal Attorney’s Office for Consumers (PROFECO) conducted an investigation, which concluded that several of the counterfeit tickets were purchased through legitimate channels.

The events occurred just weeks after Taylor Swift fans filed a lawsuit against Ticketmaster after a disastrous presale for her Eras tour.

If only Jack Dawson had Kate Winslet’s breath-holding ability. Then maybe the whole door drama never would have happened.

The Avatar: The Way of Water actress is “very proud” that she broke Tom Cruise’s record for “longest [underwater] breath hold” at 7 minutes and 14 seconds. “I have the video of me surfacing saying, ‘Am I dead, have I died?’ And then going, ‘What was [my time]?’ Straight away I wanted to know my time,” she told Total Film. “I couldn’t believe it. The next thing I say is, ‘We need to radio set. I wanted Jim to know right away.”

“Jim” is, of course, James Cameron, who she previously worked with on Titanic. “He’s just a really different person,” Winslet replied when asked about Cameron then vs. now. “Hopefully, we both are. A huge chunk of time has gone by… You know, people say it was 25 years since Titanic. It’s not! It’s 27 years for us, you know, I turned 21 on that film, I’m 47. It’s a long time ago.” She also revealed the “biggest challenge” while filming Avatar: The Way of Water, y’know, outside of holding her breath for seven minutes.

“The biggest challenge was something people really wouldn’t imagine – it was fitting into this world and yet appearing to have always been there. That was the hardest part. Because these actors, they created these characters in this universe 13 years ago.”

Avatar: The Way of Water opens on December 16.

(Via Total Film)

The NBA has been steadily updating its awards lineup, finding ways to pay tribute to some of the game’s legends in the process. Recently the league renamed the Finals MVP award for Bill Russell, the NBA All-Star MVP award for Kobe Bryant, the Eastern Conference title for Bob Cousy, the Western Conference title for Oscar Robertson, East MVP award for Larry Bird, and West MVP award for Magic Johnson.

That was just the beginning, though, as on Tuesday the league announced the new names for its regular season awards, along with new trophy designs, headlined by the Michael Jordan Trophy for the NBA MVP.

The rest of the awards are in the style of crystal vases, with the Hakeem Olajuwon Trophy for the Defensive Player of the Year, the Wilt Chamberlain Trophy for Rookie of the Year, the John Havlicek Trophy for Sixth Man of the Year, George Mikan Trophy for Most Improved Player, and a new Jerry West Trophy for Most Clutch Player. The West award will be voted on by the media like the others, but nominees will be compiled by NBA head coaches.

While the new trophy designs will surely be met with some pushback, it’s good of the league to try and make sure they honor the legends of the game in this manner. Highlighting the best players the NBA has seen through individual and team honors is a great way to keep their legacies alive and introduce other generations to their accomplishments.

Hmm, the man who portrays Joe Goldberg on You is dancing on TikTok. That sounds like the perfect cover for murder.

This was my first thought after spotting a newly viral TikTok video, in which former Gossip Girl ensemble dude Penn Badgley pulls the unlikely move of shimmying alongside pop star Meghan Trainor. What gives?

This isn’t a promotional bit for Badgley’s upcoming Netflix return, although that would be great. Rather, Trainor appeared on an episode of Badgley’s hormone-involved Podcrushed podcast. Her appearance will formally surface on December 21, and I’ll be interested to learn more about how this episode came together. And why the pair decided to dance to one of Trainor’s own songs rather than something a little more neutral. I mean, she has a clear advantage over Penn, but he still works it to a degree.

From there, Badgheads (I’m sorry, really) can look forward to Season 4 of You, which has already released a motion poster that made the leading man feel “icky.” Joe Goldberg is in London now, baby, and he’s attempting to keep a low profile as a university professor. I think you can guess how well that goal goes.

Season 4 will be split into two halves with the first landing on Feb. 10 and the second on March 10.

When it rains, it pours, but for DaBaby, it seems like he’s stuck in a never-ending hurricane. Since his infamous comments at Rolling Loud back in 2021, the “Bop” rapper hasn’t caught a break. Not only did his latest album, Baby On Baby 2, perform poorly on Billboard‘s Hot 100 charts, but the Charlotte native also became the butt of several online jokes due to his show’s lack of ticket sales.

Now, according to TMZ, one of his most popular songs, “Rockstar,” featuring Roddy Ricch, is the subject of a new lawsuit. Producer JuJu Beatz allegedly opened the copyright enrichment case in which JuJu claims DaBaby stole the song’s beat from him under the cloak of sampling.

The documents reveal JuJu initially sent the beat in a digital file to the rapper’s team in 2019. Someone on his team with access to the file opened the instrumental more than 40 times between when it was initially sent and when the song was released in April 2020.

Lastly, JuJu claims while the rapper racked up millions of dollars in profit from the song, he was not compensated for his unauthorized contribution. JuJu told the courts he has attempted to settle this dispute with the rapper privately, but DaBaby refuses to “cooperate or accept responsibility for blatant and willful copyright infringement.”

Due to DaBaby’s dismissal of the JuJu’s outreach attempts, Roddy Ricch, who is featured on the track, and several others involved in the song’s production have now been named as co-defendants.

Mariah Carey’s classic holiday hit “All I Want For Christmas Is You” has hit No. 1 on Billboard‘s Hot 100 chart for the fourth holiday season in a row — replacing the several-week record held by Taylor Swift’s “Anti-Hero.” Carey celebrated with an extravagant breakfast and nothing but great energy ahead of her concert at NYC’s Madison Square Garden tonight. Nothing can keep the supposed Queen Of Christmas down.

“YAYYYYYYY!!!!,” Carey shared on Twitter, complete with a number of party-themed emojis. “Such an amazing surprise and an early Christmas gift!!! Thank you so much!!! Can’t wait to see you tomorrow [December 13] at MSG and celebrate together!!!!”

In addition to expanding her chart record, Carey started the festivities early this year, including by performing the song with Santa Claus during the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.

“Christmas is for all and I just happen to actually really love Christmas, because I grew up and I had kind of a tough childhood, and I always wanted Christmas to be perfect, and it never was. And so then when I was able to provide myself and my friends, and then later, now my kids who are 11 — hi, ‘Roc and ‘Roe — we have the most festive Christmas ever,” she shared during a recent appearance on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert.

“It’s actually authentic and it came from a place of longing to have some normalcy and some, you know, peace and… just a lovely holiday, and somehow, someone would be throwing mustard at somebody else, or ketchup or whatever. So I went through that, and now, it’s just… I wait for it all year long. So it is actually a real thing,” Carey added.

Mississippi State football coach Mike Leach died late Monday night at University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson after suffering a heart attack at his home on Sunday.

The school released an official announcement of his passing on Tuesday morning, including a statement from the Leach family thanking the football world for their support over the past two days.

In a statement, the Leach family said: “Mike was a giving and attentive husband, father and grandfather. He was able to participate in organ donation at UMMC as a final act of charity. We are supported and uplifted by the outpouring of love and prayers from family, friends, Mississippi State University, the hospital staff, and football fans around the world. Thank you for sharing in the joy of our beloved husband and father’s life.”

It is a major loss for the college football world, as Leach was one of the biggest offensive influences in football having developed the Air Raid offense with Hal Mumme in 1989, eventually bringing that offense to the forefront in the late 90s as the offensive coordinator at Kentucky and then Oklahoma. Leach spent 10 seasons at Texas Tech, eight at Washington State, and the last three at Mississippi State, compiling a 158-107 career record as a head coach, including 19 bowl appearances.

Many of Leach’s former assistants are now head coaches, including Lincoln Riley, Kliff Kingsbury, Dana Holgorsen, Sonny Dykes, and Dave Aranda, and after news of his death was made official, many coaches and players around college football offered remembrances of the coach that was such an influence on the sport.

Young Thug has been incarcerated since May, awaiting trial in January for alleged violations of Georgia’s Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO) Act. That didn’t stop the Fulton County District Attorney’s Office from adding new charges to the list of accusations against him. Now, according to local news, he’s been charged with street racing, of all things, after allegedly driving at 120 mph on Interstate 85 in May. The charge is grouped with additional counts of speeding and reckless driving, all misdemeanors.

Thug’s attorney, Brian Steel, called the accusations unjust, pointing out, “As of two weeks ago, that case was being resolved with a seatbelt violation. Today, it’s indicted in the Fulton County Superior Court. He is being wronged by our system.”

Young Thug, along with Gunna and 27 others, was indicted in May on 56 counts, including drug and gun charges, with additional counts added after the search of Thug’s Atlanta home. Observers have called the entire case an unjust publicity stunt, considering the only thing allegedly tying the rappers to any gang activity were mentions of “YSL” in their lyrics — both the acronym for Thug’s label, to which Gunna is signed, and the alleged criminal conspiracy.

The DA’s case has been criticized for relying on lyrics, with some calling it outright racist, while both Thug and Gunna have been denied bond no fewer than four times. The case is scheduled to begin on January 5, 2023.

Young Thug is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

While the much-talked about “Red Wave” that the GOP was talking about for months ahead of the 2022 midterms never came to be, enough unhinged Republicans managed to keep their seats that it almost doesn’t matter. And by “enough,” we mean Marjorie Taylor Greene who, even by Marjorie Taylor Greene’s standards, really managed to outdo herself over the weekend when she spoke to the New York Virgins Young Republicans Club.

In addition to ranting about how easy it was to find butt plugs and dildos at the nearest CVS or Target — which likely had more than one member of the crowd Googling where the nearest CVS was located — Greene also took the opportunity to deny that she had any involvement in the events of January 6th by bragging about how good she’d be at overthrowing democracy. Seth Meyers gave a recap of her inane babbling on Monday night’s show.

The way Meyers see it, even though the results of the midterms clearly showed that “Trump’s routine” is no longer working with many voters, “some of the GOP’s most prominent politicians are still leaning further in the direction of MAGA extremism after it was rejected by voters.” Case in point: Queen Space Lasers herself. In addition to mentioning her obsession with the wide availability of sex toys (because, how couldn’t he?), Meyers was more concerned with the fact that “this person” is actually going to have power in our government. “GOP leader Kevin McCarthy has essentially made a pact with Greene and other extremists to keep them happy and let them run wild in exchange for their votes,” Meyers explained. This will include allowing Greene to serve on committees again, a privilege which she was previously barred from after what Meyers described as “a series of bigoted and inflammatory remarks.”

But if you think MTG 2.0 is a kinder, gentler sort of Republican, think again. Because, as Meyers explained, the butt plug banter was just small talk:

She also joked that if she and Trump ally Steve Bannon, who was also present at the event, had been in charge of the attempt to overturn the election results on January 6th, they would’ve won — because they would have had weapons…

You see, the joke is that conservatives are such blood-thirsty psychopaths, if they had actually planned the insurrection on the Capitol, it would have been way more violent. That’s like if Holiday Inn ran an ad that said, ‘If White Lotus took place here, more people would have died.’

You can watch the full clip beginning around the 6:50 mark.

At a moment when everything Leonardo DiCaprio did counted as news, a team-up with Martin Scorsese naturally made headlines. Some of the stories beneath those headlines helped explain why he needed to work with someone like Scorsese — he wanted to have the sort of career he envisioned for himself.

“Pretty boy Leonardo DiCaprio is set to play a tough guy in his next films,” gossip columnists George Rush and Joanna Molloy wrote in their New York Daily News column when word got out that Scorsese had cast him in his next film, Gangs of New York, in 1999. It wasn’t hard to hear the scoffing behind the phrasing. What’s a teen idol like Leonardo DiCaprio doing in a Scorsese movie?

DiCaprio was still trying to find his way after Titanic and the glaring spotlight that followed that film’s unprecedented success didn’t always make that easy. The Man in the Iron Mask, his Titanic follow-up, had been a success, albeit on a more modest scale, but DiCaprio didn’t want to be the kind of movie star that leaped from blockbuster to blockbuster. He tweaked his image by playing an unpleasant version of himself in Woody Allen’s 1998 film Celebrity and attempted to stretch out with the 2000 film The Beach, a dark thriller directed by Danny Boyle working from an Alex Garland novel. After that film earned mixed reviews, it felt like DiCaprio’s star might be fading.

Scorsese helped change that, but it’s fair to say that he needed DiCaprio as much as DiCaprio needed him, at least when it came to getting his long-unrealized dream project made. Scorsese had been attempting to make Gangs since the late-’70s, but the budget needed for a sprawling film set in 19th-century New York kept getting in the way. And commercially, Scorsese wasn’t coming off a hot streak in the late-’90s after Kundun and Bringing Out the Dead. But DiCaprio’s name helped open doors.

Thus began the second great ongoing star collaboration of Scorsese’s career following the eight films he’d made with Robert De Niro up to that point. However unlikely it seemed at the time, it’s proven to be an enduring partnership, resulting in five films to date with another, Killers of the Flower Moon, set to arrive next year. And, for a time, it even looked like Scorsese’s career could be divided into De Niro and DiCaprio phases, though that ended with the De Niro reunion The Irishman. (Killers of the Flower Moon will find De Niro, DiCaprio, and Scorsese collaborating together for the first time — not counting a 2015 promotional short called “The Audition.”)

It’s an extensive enough body of work to call for a ranking. So, with the caveat that all five DiCaprio/Scorsese collaborations are pretty terrific, let’s try to put this collection of films about crime, gangsters, and haunted men in an order that makes sense.

5. Gangs of New York (2002)

In terms of pure quality Gangs of New York might deserve to rank a little higher on this list. But if we’re focusing on the DiCaprio-ness of these movies it’s the weakest entry. Not that DiCaprio is bad in Gangs of New York. He’s quite good. But there aren’t many moments in which his work elevates the film. Admittedly, he has considerable competition, both because of the sheer magnitude of the production and because of Daniel Day Lewis’s incredible work as the monstrous Bill the Butcher, the sort of performance that can dwarf everyone else on-screen.

4. The Aviator (2004)

Howard Hughes — the business magnate, film producer, and, yes, aviator who became an international celebrity before retreating into seclusion — had been portrayed on film before The Aviator. Jason Robards played him in his late-in-life Vegas recluse phase in Jonathan Demme’s Melvin & Howard and Terry O’Quinn brought him to life as a patriotic philanthropist in The Rocketeer. But this biopic attempts to go deeper than previous efforts, primarily following Hughes (DiCaprio) during an eventful stretch between 1927 and 1947 during which he branched out into the movie business and attempted to revolutionize flight with the enormous all-wood transport plane the Spruce Goose. DiCaprio delivers a finely calibrated performance, drawing on his movie star charisma to depict Hughes at his most dashing while slowly revealing the cracks in his psyche. The film’s final scene is one of the most haunting in DiCaprio and Scorsese’s collaborative work.

3. Shutter Island (2010)

Speaking of cracked psyches… actually, it’s best not to reveal too much about why DiCaprio’s work in this psychological thriller is so devastating. For those who haven’t seen it, it’s best just to go along for the dark ride. Adapted from a Dennis Lehane novel, the film stars DiCaprio as Teddy Daniels, a U.S. Marshal who travels to an island hospital for the criminally insane in search of a murderer who’s disappeared. Once there he finds himself troubled by visions from his own past, including his traumatic World War II service. A horror film at heart, Shutter Island finds Scorsese drawing on everything from Val Lewton movies to then-recent Japanese and Korean shockers to create a film that sets an unsettling mood with its opening moments and never eases up.

2. The Departed (2006)

Scorsese finally won a Best Picture Oscar for this remake of Hong Kong filmmakers Andy Lau and Alan Mak’s 2002 film Infernal Affairs about a gangster posing as a cop and a cop posing as a gangster. Playing opposite Matt Damon, DiCaprio stars as Billy Costigan, a Massachusetts state trooper troubled by the requirements of living as an outlaw in the service of a pitiless mob boss played by Jack Nicholson. Scorsese has specialized in men tormented by the desire to do good and the appeal of sin since Who’s That Knocking at My Door? and DiCaprio’s performance gives the director another in a long line of unforgettable tormented heroes.

1. The Wolf of Wall Street (2013)

In recounting the career of crooked stockbroker Jordan Belfort who conned his way into building an empire, Scorsese holds nothing back. It’s a vision of excess that delights in cinematic excess of its own, whether depicting office orgies or a quaalude binge gone horribly awry. It’s a funny film that never loses sight of the moral consequences of the story it’s telling. DiCaprio’s performance is in lockstep with his director’s demands, playing Belfort as a charmer who comes to believe himself to be invincible — and seemingly with good reason. He’s a con man who’s so good he even cons those watching the movie as we watch him pile on lie upon lie. Even the final act comeuppance suggests his brand of bullshittery always finds a way to surface in new forms.