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The NBA Suspended Phoenix Suns Owner Robert Sarver For One Year And Fined Him $10 Million

Back in October of 2021, the Phoenix Suns and several members of the organization released a statement regarding an upcoming ESPN story about the team’s owner, Robert Sarver. It was unclear what, exactly, they were talking about until a few weeks later, when a story came out alleging that Sarver fostered a hostile work environment, which included numerous examples of racism and sexism in the workplace.

The NBA announced an independent investigation shortly after, and on Tuesday, the league handed down its punishment based on more than 300 interviews and “the evaluation of more than 80,000 documents and other materials, including emails, text messages and videos.” As a result, Sarver is banned from the Suns and the Phoenix Mercury for a year, he has been handed a fine of $10 million, and while he is away from the teams, Sarver is required to “complete a training program focused on respect and appropriate conduct in the workplace.”

Beyond that, the Suns and the Mercury “must fulfill a series of requirements for workplace improvements set forth and monitored by the NBA.” The investigation determined that, among other things, Sarver has used the N-word on multiple occasions and was inappropriate towards women and men.

Sarver purchased the Suns and the Mercury in 2004. Earlier this week, Ashley Silva, a former employee of the organization, criticized the NBA for its handling of the probe, tweeting that “a lot of us trusted you, broke our NDA, and were traumatized all over again speaking to the attorneys you assigned because we thought you’d do the right thing.”

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Kelela Shares ‘Washed Away,’ Her First New Song In Five Years

At long last, Kelela has returned with new music. Her new single, “Washed Away” is her first release in five years, on which, she sings with her signature calming, silky vocals over a hypnotic instrumental.

“I love a banger, but for the first point of contact out of my hiatus, it felt more honest to lead with an ambient heart-check,” Kelela said in a statement.

On the song, she sings, “The mist, the light, the dust that settles, the night / The hope, the longing, fade away, blurry-eyed / Riding out on metal waves / Moving on, a change of pace.”

The song is accompanied by a music video, which was directed by Yasser Abubeke, in which Kelela is seen in the Danakil Depression in Ethiopia, standing in solitude as she feels the sun beaming onto her. Elsewhere in the video, she swims in the Danakil waters.

“I specifically want to speak to marginalized Black folk and highlight the work we do to find renewal in a world that’s built to make us feel inadequate,” She said. “This song is the soundtrack to the relief we find after going inward.”

While this song is more of a downtempo track, Kelela took to Twitter upon the song’s release to assure fans “the bangers are on the way.”

Check out “Washed Away” above.

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The Bonkers ‘Babylon’ Trailer Features Brad Pitt And A Drunk Margot Robbie Trying To Fight A Snake

Lately, there has been a plethora of movies about movies, which show at the movie theater and help bring back the love of movies to everyone besides Tom Cruise, who already loves movies. There was La La Land, Once Upon A Time In Holywood, Licorice Pizza, and even X had some Hollywood references thrown in there among the blood. Now, Damien Chazelle‘s upcoming film will showcase the jazz age of movies, when suddenly everyone was talking and silent films were a thing of the past.

Babylon is the latest Chazelle film to take on Hollywood, with an epic ensemble cast (with some familiar faces) that features Brad Pitt, Margot Robbie, Diego Calva, Samara Weaving, Li Jun Li, Katherine Waterston, Olivia Wilde, Spike Jonze, Lukas Haas, and Flea (!!!!).

The first trailer is a rollercoaster of a ride of vibrant scenes, starting with Robbie and Calva’s characters doing drugs and sharing their wildest dreams. You know, normal Hollywood stuff. Oh, and Tobey Maguire makes a “blink and you might miss it” appearance, which is always a plus! As per the official description:

From Damien Chazelle, Babylon is an original epic set in 1920s Los Angeles. A tale of outsized ambition and outrageous excess, it traces the rise and fall of multiple characters during an era of unbridled decadence and depravity in early Hollywood.

Babylon will get a limited release on December 25th and open nationwide on January 6th. Check out the trailer above.

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‘The Legend Of Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom’ Will Release May 2023

The sequel to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild finally has a name and official release date. The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom will be released to the Nintendo Switch on May 12, 2023, much to the delight of fans everywhere.

Fans have been giddy with anticipation for this game ever since it was first teased all the way back in 2019. Since then, we’ve only gotten bits of info here and there, including a delay at one point. However, now that the game officially has both a name and release date, we can finally get excited about an upcoming Zelda release once again.

Tears of the Kingdom has the potential to be a really pivotal moment in the history of the Zelda franchise. Breath of the Wild shook the franchise to its core when it went away from the established 3D Zelda formula in favor of a more open and explorative world. Some loved it, others wanted a return to what Zelda has always been, and while we don’t expect this one to go back to that old formula, we do wonder if any old staples will return in the sequel.

May 12 is going to be a huge day in gaming and we can’t wait to see what Tears of the Kingdom has in store for all of us.

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‘Pikmin 4’ Was A Surprise Announcement During The Latest Nintendo Direct

It’s hard to call any major Nintendo IP “underrated,” but if any were to fall into that category, it’s probably Pikmin. Nintendo’s odd little resource management/survival/real time strategy game doesn’t have the same level of widespread appeal as a Zelda or a Splatoon, but it has a dedicated following of fans who adore each and every title.

Those fans have been patiently waiting for the moment when the franchise would be receiving a new sequel, and on Tuesday Nintendo delivered to them with a surprise announcement of Pikmin 4. The game is clearly still in the very early stages of development because it didn’t even receive a trailer, but Nintendo did advertise a new camera angle that places the player from the viewpoint of the Pikmin.

We don’t want to glean too much off of that, but it’s possible this title will be focused more on the intimidating wild creatures of these worlds, and a new camera angle would definitely help with that.

We probably won’t be seeing this new game anytime soon, but it would be very cool if sometime next summer we got a new trailer showing off all the cool features we can expect in Pikmin 4. For now, fans will just have to be excited that we’re getting a new game at all.

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Noted 9/11 All-Star Rudy Giuliani Seems To Be Endorsing The Nutty Conspiracy Theory That 9/11 Was An Inside Job

Rudy Giuliani has a complicated relationship to 9/11. In many ways, it’s because he was mayor of New York City on September 11, 2001, that so much of the world knows his name (yes, even before the Four Seasons Total Landscaping fiasco). Yet in the 21 years since that horrific act of terrorism, Giuliani has sort of coopted the tragedy to build up his own legacy.

On Friday, as Insider reported, Giuliani stirred up a bit of confusion and controversy when, just ahead of the 21st anniversary of the attacks on our nation, he sat down with Newsmax and described September 11th as both “the worst day of my life and in some ways, you know, the greatest day of my life, in terms of my city, my country, my family.”

Whatchu talking ‘bout, Rudy?

But things got even more confusing this week, when Giuliani sat down with Dr. Gina on Real America’s Voice and seemed to maybe agree that 9/11 was an inside job?!

After asserting that “we should always remember and never forget” what happened on 9/11, Gina remarked that she “noticed a sincere, strong uptick in the number of folks asking about things that have traditionally been painted [as] conspiracy theories.” While she claimed that she doesn’t necessarily believe the wild theories that have been suggested, she also noted that she doesn’t “fault people for asking questions that may sound outlandish when our government is a proven enemy of some people.”

While Rudy could have easily shut this nonsense down and maintained that he was the true hero of the day, he surprisingly seemed to agree with Dr. Gina. As he noted:

I find myself now saying things and realizing they’re true — [but] if I had said them five years ago, I would have thought I was crazy.

You and everyone else, Rudy. But rather than keep it totally on topic, he decided to pivot:

Let’s take Russian collusion: that a political party would spend a couple million dollars to make up a charge to frame a candidate for president, then to try to frame a candidate for president, then to try to frame a president and remove him on a charge that… is a complete lie, carry it on for four or five years and have the support of the American press? I would’ve said, ‘That’s crazy. That can’t happen. That can’t possibly happen. The press will be outraged.’

Something is definitely crazy here.

Giuliani continued by stating that once everyone determined something like Russian collusion was a “fraud” (which they have NOT), they’d just move onto the next fraud — ”the whole thing with the Ukraine, which turned out to be another fraud.”

Perhaps MSNBC’s Chris Hayes summed up Giuliani’s statements best.

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Burna Boy Delivers A Jazzy Performance Of ‘Last Last’ On ‘Fallon’

Burna Boy‘s hit single “Last Last” proved to be one of the buzziest songs of the past summer. Since its release, the song has reached the top of Billboard‘s Afrobeats Songs chart and has pulled in over and its video has pulled in over 75 million streams on YouTube.

Last night, Burna visited The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, where he performed the song accompanied by live instrumentalists. Throughout the performance, Burna’s vocals maintain the song’s Afrobeats roots, while the keyboardists, drummers, and saxophonists give the song a jazzy feel.

Burna Boy is often credited for helping popularize Afrobeats music in the United States. He’s accomplished several incredible feats, including selling out Madison Square Garden. While he dreams of playing many more iconic venues in his career, he revealed to Billboard that he also has several unconventional ideas for music performances.

“My dream venues, other than all the stadiums in the world, are unorthodox,” Burna said, “like a theme park or a f*cking train station. A concert in a big-ass train station, and there’s no trains, and the whole tracks are filled with people. I just want to do weird sh*t like that for my own pleasure.”

Check out the performance above.

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

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Chuck D Sells A Huge Part Of His Public Enemy Catalog Publishing Rights

In addition to being one of hip-hop’s most notable pioneers, Chuck D of Public Enemy has long been considered one of the genre’s most formidable lyricists. According to Rolling Stone, he’s now cashed in that reputation — and on the lucrative catalog of genre-shaping hits he wrote as Public Enemy’s de facto frontman — after selling a huge portion of his songwriting catalog to Reach Music.

Reach Music has been the rap titan’s publisher for the past two decades, and now owns 100 percent of Chuck’s songwriter’s share along with 50 percent of his publishing copyrights. Chuck will retain the other 50 percent of his copyright share. Neither party has revealed how much Chuck was ultimately paid for the catalog, but given the cultural ubiquity and timeless urgency of hits like “Bring The Noise,” “Don’t Believe The Hype,” and “Fight The Power,” Chuck’s fee would certainly be in line with other recent sales by pop forces like David Bowie, Justin Timberlake, and John Legend.

In a statement, Chuck said, “[D]oing this deal was the right timing for a forward and logical evolution of our business together in an ever-changing industry. Reach has always been ahead of the curve on establishing respect for the HipHop genre songwriting and publishing-wise, and they will continue taking care of my works.”

For more on how publishing rights work, check out Uproxx’s interview with Naima Cochran.

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‘GoldenEye 007’ Is Finally Coming To The Switch And It Will Have Online Multiplayer

GoldenEye 007 is one of the most beloved first-person shooters ever made. A staple in college dorm rooms across the country, the Nintendo 64 game was beloved for its addictive splitscreen multiplayer action. While many games have created similar feelings since then, there was nothing quite like the experience of getting a group of friends together to take each other on in GoldenEye.

Fans love GoldenEye so much they have been begging for a port of it for years on a modern console. On Tuesday, that wish was finally granted. Sort of. GoldenEye 007 is coming to the Nintendo Switch and it will have online multiplayer too, but the only way for fans to play it will be to purchase the Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pass add on.

Another subscription service might be a big ask, but for GoldenEye that’s only a small price to pay for the opportunity to play one of the most beloved games on the Nintendo 64. You can even argue it’s a better deal because with the expansion pass is access to other Nintendo 64 games like Mario Golf or Paper Mario.

They didn’t give us a release date yet, only telling us it will be “soon” but that day is going to be a fun one for Switch fans when it finally hits online multiplayer.

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Big Thief Announces A Slew Of New Tour Dates For 2023

Big Thief is a terrific live band, so today’s news is good: The group has announced new tour dates for next year, in support of their excellent 2022 album Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe In You.

The North American part of the trek starts in Vermont on January 31 and is followed by over a dozen more dates in Philadelphia, Nashville, Austin, New Orleans, Miami, and Atlanta before wrapping up at New York’s Radio City Music Hall on March 2. That show is followed by some UK and European dates in April.

Check out all of Big Thief’s upcoming tour dates below.

11/12/2022 — Seoul, Korea @ Rolling Hall
11/14/2022 — Osaka, Japan @ Club Quattro
11/15/2022 — Osaka, Japan @ Club Quattro
11/18/2022 — Tokyo, Japan @ O/East
11/21/2022 — Perth, Australia @ Astor Theatre
11/23/2022 — Melbourne, Australia @ The Forum
11/24/2022 — Melbourne, Australia @ The Forum
11/27/2022 — Sydney, Australia @ Enmore Theatre
11/30/2022 — Brisbane, Australia @ Princess Theatre
12/02/2022 — Auckland, New Zealand @ Powerstation
12/03/2022 — Auckland, New Zealand @ Powerstation
12/04/2022 — Wellington, New Zealand @ Opera House
01/31/2023 — Burlington, VT @ Higher Ground
02/03/2023 — New Haven, CT @ College Street Music Hall
02/04/2023 — Philadelphia, PA @ Franklin Music Hall
02/05/2023 — Pittsburgh, PA @ Stage AE
02/07/2023 — Nashville, TN @ The Ryman
02/09/2023 — Oxford, MS @ Lyric Oxford
02/10/2023 — Fayetteville, AR @ George’s Majestic Lounge
02/11/2023 — Tulsa, OK @ Cain’s Ballroom
02/15/2023 — Austin, TX @ ACL at Moody Theatre
02/16/2023 — Houston, TX @ White Oak Music Hall
02/17/2023 — New Orleans, LA @ Orpheum Theater
02/18/2023 — Birmingham, AL @ Iron City
02/20/2023 — Orlando, FL @ Beacham Theatre
02/21/2023 — Miami, FL @ North Beach Bandshell
02/24/2023 — Atlanta, GA @ The Eastern
02/25/2023 — Asheville, NC @ Thomas Wolfe Auditorium
03/02/2023 — New York, NY @ Radio City Music Hall
04/05/2023 — Gateshead, England @ Sage Gateshead
04/06/2023 — Edinburgh, Scotland @ Usher Hall
04/07/2023 — Manchester, England @ O2 Apollo Manchester
04/08/2023 — Cardiff, Wales @ Great Hall
04/11/2023 — London, England @ O2 Academy Brixton
04/12/2023 — London, England @ Eventim Hammersmith Apollo
04/15/2023 — Rotterdam, Netherlands @ Rotterdamse Schouwburg
04/16/2023 — Groningen, Netherlands @ De Oosterpoort
04/18/2023 — Antwerp, Belgium @ De Roma
04/22/2023 — Munich, Germany @ Muffathalle
04/23/2023 — Milan, Italy @ Alcatraz
04/26/2023 — Barcelona, Spain @ Razzmatazz
04/27/2023 — Valencia, Spain @ Sala Moon
04/28/2023 — Madrid, Spain @ La Riviera
04/29/2023 — Lisbon, Portugal @ LAV