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Donald Trump has a bizarre way of doing, well, just about everything — from closing an umbrella to disposing of classified documents. He also, as Seth Meyers pointed out, has a very strange way of discussing nuclear weapons.

During Monday night’s “A Closer Look,” Meyers discussed Vladimir Putin’s ongoing threats to unleash Russia’s alleged arsenal of nuclear weapons, and noted how different the responses to these unhinged warnings have been from Joe Biden and his presidential predecessor. Whereas Biden’s only word for Putin was a gravelly, John Wayne-ish “Don’t!,” Trump went an entirely different — and wholly confusing — way with the nuke talk. As Meyers explained:

Biden has been stern but quiet about how the U.S. would respond. Trump, meanwhile, has been speculating wildly at rallies and other events about insane ideas, like bombing Russia but blaming it on China by putting Chinese flags on our U.S. fighter jets. That’s a real thing he actually said; it’s one step removed from Bugs Bunny dressing up as a lady to trick Elmer Fudd… And then this weekend, at a rally in North Carolina, he brought up the topic of nuclear weapons in the weirdest and most uncomfortable way possible.

Trump’s exact quote was as follows: “Now Putin mentioned the N word. You know what the N word is?”

Meyers admitted that he had to imagine “there was some percentage of that crowd, no matter how large or small, that heard that sentence and thought to themselves, ‘Oh my god! It’s finally happening!’”

“To be fair,” Meyers added, “it seems like Trump sensed what his crowd was thinking, too. Because he quickly had to clarify himself.”

Trump did indeed explain that the word he meant was “nuclear,” a word the former president said is “not supposed to be mentioned” because “You could end up in World War III, and this will be a war like we’ve never had before. It won’t even be close, because we’re being run by stupid people.”

Meyers, for once, had to agree with Trump and admit that the U.S. is being run by a lot of “stupid people — like the kinds of people that refer to the word ‘nuclear’ as ‘The N Word.’”

You can watch the full clip above, beginning around the 3:20 mark. And in case you’re wondering, Trump is still trying to make this a thing, for some ungodly reason. Happy Tuesday!

Former Fox News anchor Eric Bolling is firing shots at his old network, specifically at Tucker Carlson for his continued defense of Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine. During Monday night’s episode of Bolling’s Newsmax show, the anchor covered reports that clips from Carlson’s shows are being used in Russian propaganda to drum up support for the failing invasion. Bolling blasted Carlson as an “alleged American” before calling out the Fox News host for airing claims that Putin would cause the “total destruction” of the Western world.

Via Newsweek:

“I am very worried about a world war, a nuclear World War III where nobody wins,” Bolling said on his show. “So when I see a fellow conservative making statement that could incite a world war, a nuclear war, I have to call him out.”

“When I see our arch enemy Russia and the sociopath Putin using that same conservative for Propaganda,” said Bolling, “you should know about it and maybe get to him and tell him to stand down.”

As Bolling continued to call out Carlson, he pushed back on any narrative that attempts to paint Russia as the victim and Ukraine as the aggressor. A tactic that Carlson has repeatedly used, as recently as last week. Bolling also criticized Carlson for attacking America’s efforts to help Ukraine end the invasion.

“Last Thursday, Tucker Carlson again blamed Ukraine for starting the war,” Bolling said. “And he continues to claim America should cut off all funds and military support to Ukraine.”

(Via Newsweek)

We’re nearing the end of BBC Radio 1’s Live Lounge Month, and Rina Sawayama is making sure it goes out with a bang. The British-Japanese singer-songwriter belted out a transfixing rendition of Billie Eilish’s ubiquitous single “Happier Than Ever,” the title track of her sophomore album and namesake of her nearly wrapped world tour.

“covered one of my favey songs ever Happier Than Ever by @billieeilish on @bbcradio1 Live Lounge !!!!!!!” Sawayama captioned a clip on Instagram posted Tuesday (September 27). “aaaaaaa a dream to do live lounge.”

The 32-year-old also performed “Hold The Girl,” the title track of her sophomore LP that dropped via Dirty Hit earlier this month and boasts singles “This Hell,” “Hurricanes,” and “Phantom.” Sawayama will launch her headlining Hold The Girl US tour in Brooklyn on November 1, and she will perform three dates in Japan at the top of 2023. While with BBC Radio 1, Sawayama dished on making her film-acting debut in the forthcoming John Wick: Chapter 4.

As for other notable covers performed on Live Lounge this month, Lewis Capaldi took a crack at Britney Spears’ “Everytime,” and Sam Smith delivered their version of Sam Fender’s “Seventeen Going Under.” And back in May, the indomitable Harry Styles gave us a “Wet Dream” cover.

Watch Sawayama sing “Happier Than Ever” above.

(Warning: Spoilers for House Of The Dragon below)

Every once in a while, writers for a big hit show love to throw in some little tidbits here and there to make the dialogue more interesting. Let’s be honest, sometimes they need some filler words for their allotted 60 minutes of screen time, and they might need to get creative!

In the latest episode of House of the Dragon, you might have noticed a peculiar name. Okay, yes, they all have non-conventional names, but Daemon and Corlys are pretty standard for the George R. R. Martin lore. While at the council meeting, Queen Alicent, now portrayed by Olivia Cooke, asked about Lord Grover Tully, whose family is ruling the Riverlands. The brief name drop was nothing major…unless you are familiar with the Muppets/GOT crossover that takes place in the book series.

In Fire & Blood, Martin’s Targaryen-focused installment in the series, he introduces various family members with…familiar names, via Polygon:

Then as now, the riverlords were a fractious, quarrelsome lot. Kermit Tully, Lord of Riverrun, was their liege lord, and nominally commander of their host…but it must be remembered that his lordship was but nineteen years of age, and ‘green as summer grass,’ as the northmen might say. His brother Oscar, who had slain three men during the Muddy Mess and been knighted on the battlefield afterward, was still greener, and cursed with the sort of prickly pride so common in second sons

There is Kermit, the “green” Lord, and Oscar, the “prickly” brother. Their father’s name? Elmo! See, even Martin can have a sense of humor in between slaughtering fan-favorite characters.

There are Muppet references sprinkled throughout the novel, so there might be some more references to come throughout the series. Maybe Rocco will make his debut?

(Via Polygon)

Remember when DaBaby was an exciting new artist that you just wanted to root for? Not only are those days long gone, but it also doesn’t look like they’re coming back. The North Carolina rapper seems determined to burn through whatever slivers of goodwill he has left with his new album Baby On Baby 2, starting with lead single “Boogeyman.” DaBaby already caught hell on Twitter for lyrics that reference having sex with Megan Thee Stallion and her alleged shooting by Tory Lanez, but he’s doubling down in the Nightmare On Elm Street-themed music video, which features an MTS lookalike reacting to the line.

Give him credit; the video has the same level of planning and budget he’s always put into his visuals. It has a horror movie/Scooby-Doo-inspired intro sequence in which a group of intrepid teens ventures into a creepy basement. DaBaby himself pops out as a Freddy Kruger-esque gremlin and chases the kids into the haunted house above.

But let’s be honest; it’s pretty bad form to mock someone you once counted a friend and collaborator after she was (allegedly) shot by another rapper. We already know he doesn’t think much of those allegations, but maybe it’s time for DaBaby to grow up.

Watch DaBaby’s “Boogeyman” video above.

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

Over 40 years after Halloween made John Carpenter the “horror master,” Laurie Strode vs. Michael Myers is coming to an end.

No, really this time, it’s right there in the title: Halloween Ends.

The third film in the recent Halloween trilogy (and the 13th installment in the franchise, but only the fourth that’s considered canon — the real horror is making sense of the timeline) has Jamie Lee Curtis returning for one. last. job. That job is putting an end to Michael Myers’ reign of terror, which, with all due respect, she’s not very good at it. It should not take four decades to kill a dude in a William Shatner mask. Maybe this time.

You can watch the Halloween Ends final trailer above. Here’s the plot synopsis:

Four years after the events of last year’s Halloween Kills, Laurie is living with her granddaughter Allyson and is finishing writing her memoir. Michael Myers hasn’t been seen since. Laurie, after allowing the specter of Michael to determine and drive her reality for decades, has decided to liberate herself from fear and rage and embrace life. But when a young man, Corey Cunningham, is accused of killing a boy he was babysitting, it ignites a cascade of violence and terror that will force Laurie to finally confront the evil she can’t control, once and for all.

Halloween Ends comes to theaters and Peacock on October 14.

Michael Irvin is, typically, a staple of First Take‘s Monday morning lineup of guests opposite Stephen A. Smith, but with the Cowboys playing on Monday Night Football this week, the Playmaker moved his appearance to Tuesday morning in order to sing the praises of the Cowboys to Stephen A. after they improved to 2-1 with a win over the Giants.

Irvin, who remembered his glasses for First Take, worked himself into a full-on sermon while talking about the Cowboys defensive line, which he described multiple times as “finger licking good,” and CeeDee Lamb, who he got biblical with about redemption and valor.

It was terrific television and even noted Cowboys hater Stephen A. could only chuckle at the Playmaker’s antics — as did Keyshawn Johnson who seemed to be trying to figure out why he was even there, but was enjoying the show. After delivering his sermon, Irvin was in a full lather and needed half a roll of paper towels and an actual towel to pat himself down with because he’d worked up a sweat.

The best part of this is it comes after a game few would’ve called particularly good or exciting (aside from a touch of late drama when the Giants got the ball back down a touchdown, only for Daniel Jones to throw an interception that was hard not to see coming). Still, a win is a win and the defense does look good (not sure if it’s “finger-licking” or not), so we’ll let Irvin enjoy the moment and maybe he should start the show with the sweat rag nearby next time.

With the death of Queen Elizabeth II putting the Royal Family in the spotlight as it handles King Charles III‘s ascension (and the continued drama between his estranged son and daughter in law, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle), Buckingham Palace is reportedly freaking out about the upcoming season of The Crown. According to sources, Charles’ rise to the throne has not been smooth thanks to his frequent frustration with writing utensils, and the last thing the new king needs is a Netflix series dredging up his tabloid divorce from Princess Diana, and her subsequent death, of course.

The Crown Season 5 will reportedly focus on the ’90s and star Dominic West as Charles as he continues his mistreatment of Diana, who will be played by Elizabeth Debicki, who is an absolute dead ringer for the late Princess of Wales. Again, the timing is not great for the Royal Family following the Queen’s death, but the cat’s been out of the bag on this one for a long time now. Via The Cut:

Considering Charles’s affair with Camilla Parker-Bowles and Diana’s torturous time in the palace has been well documented, they’re about three decades too late, but sure. One source apparently stressed that the show is “a drama, not a documentary,” and another insider accused Netflix of having “no qualms about mangling people’s reputations.” Apparently, “the timing could not be worse,” considering England seems to have actually warmed to the king since he stepped into his role.

The fifth season of The Crown will also feature Imelda Stanton as Queen Elizabeth II, which has caused the Royal Family to demand yet another content warning for the Netflix series. This time, on the grounds that it’s “exploitative” following her majesty’s death.

(Via The Cut)

As Putin’s war in Ukraine began, word began to spread about how ill-prepared the Russian army felt for a cause that they didn’t even want to fight. Audio footage of Russian Army officers revealed that they were incensed about the situation, and the situation has grown much worse with much of the army losing their lives to such a degree that no more willing soldiers could be found, even in prisons. Putin then stomped his foot and decided to mobilize 300,000 men into the war, and that’s even led to his regime handing draft papers to protesters upon their arrest. There’s a mass exodus out of Russia, but those soldiers on the frontlines are still feeling the pain.

Via the Daily Beast, Ukrainian intelligence intercepted a phone call (which they posted on Facebook) that reveals a frontlines soldier speaking to his lady partner about his frustrations and fears. Putin is threatening hefty prison sentences against Russian soldiers who choose not to continue fighting, and the soldier talked about the dire nature of what he’s enduring:

“I need to get wounded,” he quickly responds before going on to tell her his morale at the moment is “complete sh*t.”

“Earlier there was a joke that you’d leave here only wounded or dead. Now it’s not a f*cking joke,” he says.

He then goes on to inquire about “f*ck face” Putin’s speech to the nation, which he said he had heard had included some supposedly “comforting words.”

It’s not great over there, to say the very least. By late July, half of Russia’s army had reportedly died or sustained wounds that took them out of commission. Meanwhile, Putin’s waving nuclear threats around and claiming that he will soon annex many areas of Ukraine in a war with no end in sight.

(Via the Daily Beast)

Pusha T is at it again. After penning the “Spicy Fish Diss” for Arby’s dissing McDonald’s’ Filet-O-Fish sandwich, the Virginia rapper once again takes aim at the fast food giant with “Rib Roast,” a Western-themed takedown of the Golden Arches’ beloved McRib. “McDonald’s, what you selling, mystery meat?” Push sneers. “Pop up and go away, what does history teach?” Somehow or another, he manages to make it through the whole thing without sneaking in a bar about cocaine… Growth?

For what it’s worth, Arby’s signing Pusha to be its official attack dog has proven to be pretty lucrative for Arby’s. According to an Apex Marketing estimate in March, the jingle/diss track was worth more than $8 million in advertising for Arby’s, whose previous tagline, “We have the meats,” has become pretty ubiquitous if not particularly enticing. It’s also proven a worthwhile endeavor for Pusha, who allegedly penned the “I’m Lovin’ It” jingle for McDonald’s for a flat fee and never got a royalty check. Considering he’s been after Lil Wayne for over a decade over who wore a hoodie first (and subsequently expanded that feud to include Wayne’s protege Drake), this whole fast food beef (heh) offers him the perfect excuse to exercise his petty and get paid for it.

Watch Pusha T and Arby’s’ “Rib Roast” video above.