GoneTrending

The Tennessee Volunteers have been one of the best stories in college football this season, with a win over Alabama earlier this year in an instant classic pushing them into the top-3 in the country in every poll.

If that magical evening in Knoxville was the high point of the season, Saturday night in Columbia, South Carolina marked the low point as the Vols got shredded by Spencer Rattler and the Gamecocks, who rolled up 63 points in a stunning upset of the No. 5 ranked team in the country. That loss will dash any hopes Tennessee had of still sneaking into the College Football Playoff, but more concerning was a late injury suffered by their star quarterback.

Senior starter Hendon Hooker emerged as a Heisman Trophy candidate this season, putting up some truly ridiculous numbers in the high-powered Tennessee offense and serving as the catalyst for their leap into contention in the SEC. Hooker left Saturday’s loss late with a knee injury and the team announced on Sunday that further testing had revealed a torn ACL, ending Hooker’s season and college career.

Hooker’s season will end with some unbelievable numbers, as he completed 69.6 percent of his passes for 3,135 yards, 27 touchdowns, and just two interceptions. Few teams pushed the ball down the field with more success this season than Tennessee and Hooker’s accuracy on deep passes was the reason they could attack teams vertically the way that they did. It’s a disappointing and unfortunate way for the Vols to see their season approach its end, as they’ve had one of the best seasons in school history but won’t be able to enjoy finishing it off with their star quarterback.

The Patriots and Jets met on Sunday afternoon on a cold, blustery day in Foxborough and produced the worst offensive game of the season, as the two teams combined for six points, tied 3-3, with under 30 seconds to go.

After throwing for a 1-yard loss on 3rd and 1, the Jets were set to punt the ball back to the Pats with 26 seconds on the clock and overtime felt pretty assured, given how both offenses had struggled to move the ball at all. However, Marcus Jones had other ideas as he fielded the punt at his own 16 and took off up the right sideline, finding a seam, and then cutting back up to the middle of the field to get by the punter.

A walkoff punt return is about as rare as it gets in the NFL — in fact, it was the first punt return touchdown of any kind in the league all year — as it’s just not something that ever should be able to happen. The Jets will be upset about what looked like a block in the back (an unnecessary one at that) at the very end, which would’ve at least forced New England to kick a field goal in the wind for the win.

While that will be a bit of a lingering controversy, the bigger issue for me is how do you even put yourself in this position in the first place. That is a situation where the punt needs to be unreturnable, whether that be just kicked completely out of bounds, or hung up high to force a fair catch. Still, this was a game the Jets more than deserved to lose, as they had more punts (10) than completions from Zach Wilson (9), as the second-year QB put forth one of the worst games from any signal-caller this season.

The New York offense had 103 total yards — 59 rushing and 44 passing — with six total first downs. The Pats weren’t exactly explosive, but dominated the game with 297 yards and 13 first downs, but Mac Jones was sacked six times and their drives regularly stalled just across midfield, while the Jets simply chose to never get anything going.

The end of the Brockhampton era is nigh. This past Friday (November 18), the band released their seventh and eighth albums, The Family and TM. The latter of the two came as a surprise and served as a farewell gift to Brockhampton fans.

Yesterday, the rap group performed their final show at The Fonda in Los Angeles, which they made available for streaming via Amazon Music’s Twitch channel. In attendance at the final show were Dua Lipa and Wallows vocalist Dylan Minnette (per their respective Instagram stories).

Today, Brockhampton member Kevin Abstract took to Twitter to announce that upon the disbandment of Brockhampton, he is planning to leave the social platform within the week.

“BH family. Thx for being down for the ride,” Abstract said. “I appreciate y’all. I am probably the most dramatic person you follow on this app. With that being said: I’ll be deactivating this account after these radio shows air this week. If you wanna keep up with me, I’m sure you’ll find me.”

At the time of writing, Abstract has not announced plans to leave Instagram, or any other social platform. The other members of Brockhampton have not announced plans to depart from any other social platforms.

The Family and TM are out now via Question Everything and RCA. Stream them here.

Justin Bieber is prioritizing his health and happiness, and it’s paying off. Since postponing his Justice World Tour last month until at least March 2023, Bieber appears to be soaking in life’s simpler pleasures. He and Hailey Bieber, his wife of four years, celebrated Halloween by adding a new puppy to their family and then endearingly went bananas at Los Angeles FC’s thrilling MLS Cup victory earlier this month.

This weekend, the Biebers delighted fans by making a surprise appearance at Drew House’s pop-up store in Tokyo, Japan. Bieber went under cover as Theodore, Drew House’s teddy bear mascot. He was all smiles when taking the giant head off to reveal his identity, and fans predictably couldn’t contain their joy.

The multiplatinum musician took selfies with fans inside the pop-up, where he played video games and tried on new Drew pieces. Bieber also climbed onto the balcony to toss out plush toys of the Drew House mascots, such as Theodore and Ferdinand.

Justin co-founded Drew House with longtime friend Ryan Good in 2019. Based in California’s San Fernando Valley, Drew House “is a community, a place where you can be yourself and loved, encouraged, safe and valued.” Bieber spreads that message — from the US to Tokyo and everywhere in between — with Good, Laura Ehrlich, Daniel Gross, Joe Termini, Jonah Mazer, and others, with frequent contributions from illustrative artists Gianpiero and Sophie Bailey.

See the scenes from Drew’s Tokyo takeover below.

Jesse Eisenberg hasn’t done much TV. One of his first roles was in the short-lived Get Real, which premiered in 1999 and featured another future star, Anne Hathaway. Now, over two decades later, he’s finally got another starring role on the small screen: He’s the lead in Fleishman is in Trouble, which just premiered its first two episodes on FX on Hulu. But how long will its first season run?

The answer: eight episodes, right through the end of the year. The show finds Eisenberg as a newly divorced New York hepatologist trying to brave his way through the modern dating scene, which is to say trying to make connections over the terrifying world of apps. Claire Danes plays his new ex-wife, with whom he has two kids, while his Now You See Me 2 co-star appears as one of his best friends.

There’s a bit of bad news associated with this show: It’s one of the gigs that prevented Caplan from joining her former Party Down castmates in the cult show’s long-threatened reunion. Of course, it’s not the only one: She also landed the Glen Close role in the forthcoming Fatal Attraction show. Bad for Party Down fans, but good for her!

Fleishman is in Trouble airs new episodes on FX on Hulu every Thursday.

Last night (November 19), The Smashing Pumpkins played the Hollywood Bowl at the Los Angeles stop of their “Spirits On Fire” tour. The band performed songs from various eras in their catalog, including material from their new three-part album, Atum, as well as old fan favorites.

During a performance of “Cherub Rock,” the opening track to the band’s 1993 album, Siamese Dream, Willow Smith made a surprise appearance, joining The Smashing Pumpkins on stage. Though Willow didn’t actually sing during the performance, she played rhythm guitar with the band throughout the duration of “Cherub Rock.”

Back in October, Willow sat down with Smashing Pumpkins vocalist Billy Corgan on his Thirty-Three podcast. She praised Corgan for wearing a dress on stage in previous performances and opening the doors for other male artists to do the same.

“So many people took that beautiful rebellious act and have done it – like Kid Cudi wore a dress onstage; my own brother [Jaden Smith] wore a dress onstage,” responds WILLOW. “That rebellious nature, I want to thank you for doing that and for setting this beautiful precedent for what rock star dudes can be – they can be so many different things.”

Check out a clip of the performance above.

The Atlanta Hawks are off to a strong start to the 2022-23 season, sitting third in the East at 10-6, but that’s not to say everything is peachy in the Georgia capital.

The Hawks are winning to start the year in spite of an offense that has an almost alarming lack of three-point shooting, as they rank dead last with 9.1 made threes per game — below even the Lakers. While the eventual return of Bogdan Bogdanovic should help, the clear need in Atlanta is to bolster their roster with shooters around Trae Young and Dejounte Murray. With Clint Capela serving as their defensive anchor and the team having just extended De’Andre Hunter on a lucrative deal to be their defensive ace on the wing, the only real option for making a significant move in Atlanta is at the four spot where John Collins has found himself on the trade block for two years.

The Hawks almost begrudgingly re-signed Collins two summers ago to a 5-year, $125 million deal after the free agent market evaporated quickly, and have not been shy about their efforts to trade him since then. Last summer it felt like Collins’ departure was almost a guarantee, as the Hawks found themselves deep in conversations with the Kings and other teams about his services headed into the Draft, but ultimately nothing materialized and Collins started his sixth season in Atlanta. Collins is averaging 12.4 points and 7.9 rebounds per game so far this season, with a career-low in usage rate as he has seen his involvement take the biggest hit with Murray’s arrival.

As such, trade rumors about Collins have returned as we approach December 15, when players signed this offseason can begin to be dealt, and once again the conversation around the star big man’s future seems to be a matter of when, not if, he is traded, per Marc Stein.

No clear-cut destination for Collins has emerged, but his exit from the Hawks — after being mentioned in countless trade scenarios for the past few seasons — has never seemed more inevitable.

As for suitors, Stein mentions the Jazz as a team that has reached out about Collins, as the West’s biggest surprise team certainly has ample ammunition in the form of draft picks to entice a Hawks team that just unloaded much of its future draft capital to get Murray. Many have also wondered why the Hawks would be looking to trade Collins given his obvious talent level, but the fact is they’ve made their commitments and have a need that Collins simply doesn’t fill.

There will be three things the Hawks will be looking to get out of a Collins trade: shooting, draft assets, and some future financial flexibility. While Bogdanovic should give them a boost, he alone can’t alleviate their problems and isn’t a player they can necessarily bank on staying healthy enough to rely on to be the cure-all to their shooting woes. After dealing three picks for Murray, they’ll want to replenish draft picks, and with Hunter, Young, Murray, and Capela all on big-money extensions, ownership has never shown a willingness to pay the tax which explains the impetus to move Collins before Hunter’s extension kicks in.

Save losing reelection in 2020, Donald Trump has evaded responsibility his entire life. But there are more chances than ever for him to finally lose everything. The Justice Department is after him. So is Letitia James. Much of the Republican Party isn’t into his third presidential campaign. Only Twitter ruiner Elon Musk and outgoing MAGA lawmaker Madison Cawthorn are on his side. But before he’s even been indicted, one of his pals is calling for him to get the Tricky Dick treatment.

“For the good of the nation, Ford pardoned Nixon,” wrote occasional quisling conservative Geraldo Rivera on Twitter. “For the good of the nation, Biden should pardon Trump.”

For one thing, Gerald Ford pardoning Nixon has been criticized by many for unjustly sparing someone who broke the law, giving future U.S. presidents — not the least Trump — the impression that they’re above the law.

Rivera’s advice was not well-met by practically anyone. Those on the right, such as Elon favorite “Catturd,” dwelled on a technicality: that Trump hasn’t been convicted of any crimes (yet). Others simply told Biden not to pay attention.

Others pointed out the dangerous precent that pardoning Nixon set.

Others reminded Rivera of Trump’s many wrongdoings.

Others just told him to STFU.

It’s worth noting that Rivera made an unfair comparison. Richard Nixon at least oversaw the founding of the EPA, ended the Vietnam War, and opened up talks with China. He also owned up to his corruption — after being caught, that is. That’s something Trump would never do.

(Via Mediaite)

Lizzo was joined on stage at the Kia Forum in Los Angeles by Cardi B and Missy Elliott on Friday night (November 18). SZA joined the party last night (November 19), but she also had a special guest backstage. North West, the nine-year-old daughter of Kim Kardashian and Kanye West, posted the adorable dance moment to her TikTok.

In a separate TikTok, North West chanted Lizzo’s name and took in the concert from her seats.

Ye probably isn’t pleased by this development, considering he claimed North West had a TikTok account “against my will” and inexcusably body-shamed Lizzo during his problematic October interview with Tucker Carlson.

Lizzo also generated FOMO on her TikTok by posting what appears to be a snippet from an unreleased “Special” remix featuring SZA. The two musical powerhouses have been friends since their formative years in Minneapolis.

But fear not, there will be more opportunities to experience Lizzo’s Special Tour. The recent Emmy winner announced a second North American leg, The Special 2our, for 2023. The bonus 17-date run will start in Knoxville, Tennessee, on April 21, 2023, and conclude in Palm Desert, California, on June 2, 2023. Uproxx cover star Latto is staying on as the tour opener.

If you can’t wait that long for more Lizzo, you don’t have to. Her HBO Max documentary, Love, Lizzo, is set to hit the streamer on November 24. Watch the trailer below.

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

There weren’t a lot of tackles being made in the Rose Bowl on Saturday night, as USC and UCLA played in a shootout that saw the Trojans get away with a 48-45 win. Most of the defensive stops in the game were simply due to turnovers, not offenses stalling out, with USC forcing three interceptions of Dorian Thompson-Robinson to secure the win.

While the two teams weren’t making a lot of stops, we still got a highlight in the form of a sensational tackle from Rose Bowl security when a fan decided to jump onto the field and run down the sideline. The fan thought he had the juice to outrun the angle of the security guard, but quickly found out he was dealing with the Ed Reed of stadium security, as he got decleated along the sideline (and then hit one more time into the bench to be fully apprehended).

This is just tremendous, teaching tape form from the security guard. He tracks his man, stutters to make sure he doesn’t overrun the angle and allow the cutback, gets his head across the front of his body, and goes shoulder to shoulder to take him off his feet. I’m not sure if this man has exhausted his eligibility, but both Lincoln Riley and Chip Kelly should be inquiring about his availability for a spot on the roster as a safety.