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Joining the Game of Thrones franchise seems a bit like going to an exclusive, one-of-a-kind camp. All of the cast is a little nervous but excited to be embarking on this new journey, which could be amazing or horrible, depending on how the camp counselors (HBO) decide to run with it. If you add in the fact that millions of fans are watching your every move, it’s going to be a little stressful.

It comes with the territory, but a former Game of Thrones actress is sending out well-wishes to the next generation of dragon-slayers in House of the Dragon. Nathalie Emmanuel, who played Missandei on the HBO series, is sending a light warning to the current cast, mostly focused on the “passionate” fanbase.

When she was asked in a recent interview about what advice she would give to the House of the Dragon stars, Emmanuel used her words carefully. “I’m sure they already know, but this fanbase, whew, They are passionate and they are amazing,” Emmanuel said. “And who knows how this series will be received, but I hope it’s a huge success. And if it is, it’s an experience, and it will be an adjustment, for sure. If you’re not used to that level of attention or recognition, it’s definitely something.” Other GoT stars have opened up about the scrutiny and trauma they have gone through while starring in one of the biggest TV franchises ever.

Of course, Emmanuel wanted to give some hopeful advice to the cast. “So I guess my advice would be to just enjoy it and look to each other. It was really important that we, as a group, went through all of that together and held each other down.” We all know that the original GoT cast still has a group chat with each other, so it’s important to stick together!

(Via The Hollywood Reporter)

Last week, Jay-Z made a triumphant return to the forefront of the hip-hop discourse with an awe-inspiring verse on the title track from DJ Khaled’s new album God Did. For nearly four minutes, Jay flexes, reflects, proselytizes, and educates listeners with stunning wordplay and bodacious boasts which had rap fans on Twitter blown away.

On the day of the single’s release, Genius’ Rob Markman posted several clips from an extended discussion he had with Jay-Z’s longtime engineer Young Guru about the song’s creation. In the course of the discussion, Guru breaks down the hidden meanings behind some of the lines, which he says have multiple levels. Beyond just being clever puns, he says, Jay also makes references to the workings of his inner circle which only his closest associates are meant to catch.

Of course, fans wanted more, prompting Markman to ponder dropping the full video, which he did yesterday.

Naturally, the extended cut is home to even more gems, as Guru explains how recording this Jay-Z verse was different than ever before. While it has long been known that the Brooklyn rapper doesn’t write his raps and often records them in one take, Guru says he was floored by Jay’s hunger to lay this one down.

“This one was different because normally, we’ll sit down, we’ll do a song, its three verses, two verses or whatever, and he’ll have a verse and then we’ll figure out what’s next,” he says. “He’s spitting the verse to me — one take. He’s literally asking me, ‘Guru, put the beat on.’ I’m like, ‘Khaled didn’t send me the beat. You didn’t send me the beat. Send me the beat.’ So then he sends me the joint and I started trying to loop it. He was just like, ‘No, no, no, hit Khaled and get the whole instrumental,’ so he could spit the whole verse.”

You can watch the full talk in the video above.

Britney Spears is just days removed from releasing her latest single, the Elton John collaboration “Hold Me Closer.” She has had a good handful of collabs throughout her career, one of the most famous being the 2003 Madonna meet-up “Me Against The Music.” Now, Madonna has declared that she is eager to work with Spears again.

Yesterday, Madonna shared a YouTube video titled “Finally Enough Talk: 50 Questions With Madonna.” The clip is a take on Vogue‘s “73 Questions” series, and at one point, the off-camera interviewer asks Madonna, “Can we ever expect another collaboration with Britney?” Madonna responded, “I am gagging to work with Britney again.”

(“Gagging to,” by the way, is apparently an actual expression. Basically, Madonna really wants to collaborate.)

Elsewhere in the clip, Madonna mentioned sex a lot, as that was her answer to questions about her greatest guilty pleasure, zodiac sign, “current favorite obsession”, life mantra, and secret to success. She was also asked about “a decision [she] made that looking back maybe wasn’t the best idea” and her answer there was, “Getting married… both times.”

As for Spears, “Hold Me Closer” is performing well commercially. It’s currently in contention for a No. 1 debut on the UK chart and rumors indicate it could debut in the top 20 in the US.

Check out the video above.

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

Revolt Summit will return to Atlanta this September for its latest iteration. With a mission to drive forward and explore the future of hip-hop, Black artistry and culture, the theme for this year’s Revolt Summit is “The Future Is Now”

On the musical line-up at this year’s Revolt Summit are Coi Leray, Gucci Mane, Big Freedia, Iddris Sandu, activist Tamika D. Mallory, Pretty Vee, Fly Guy DC, and 19 Keys. In addition to musical performances, this year’s iteration of the Revolt Summit will feature keynote speeches by artists and entrepreneurs like DJ Drama, Tezlyn Figaro, Tariq Nasheed, Claima founder Bimma Williams, LaRussell, and more.

“The Revolt Summit is coming back bigger and better than ever with the goal of inspiring the next generation of cultural leaders to understand that the time is now to achieve your dreams, change your life, and more importantly change the world,” said Revolt chairman Diddy in a statement. “The future is happening in real-time, so we all have a responsibility to share the access, information and opportunities that will move the culture forward and the Revolt Summit is where it all starts.”

Tickets for this year’s Revolt Summit are available for purchase here.

Some of the artists mentioned are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Like the Eagles of Manwë (That’s right. We’re getting nerdy right out of the gate.), the first reviews for The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power are swooping in, and the consensus is clear: Every dollar that Amazon spent can be seen on the screen. In fact, one critic went so far to say that the visual effects make House of the Dragon look like a child’s video game. More importantly, The Rings of Power goes deep into Middle-earth lore as it weaves J.R.R. Tolkien’s legendary world-building with epic cinematic wonder that fans of the Peter Jackson films have come to expect. In short (not a Hobbit pun), the series looks fantastic, and it’s attention to characters and detail are here to reward fans of both the books and the blockbuster movies alike.

Here’s what critics are saying about the first two episodes of The Rings of Power:

James Whitbrook, io9:

Here’s the long and short of it, or Ent and Hobbit of it if you’re already packing your bags to be whisked off to Middle-earth again: The Rings of Power is The Lord of the Rings through and through. It looks incredible, it bursts with hope, and, above all, it’s very long and takes a bit of time getting going. This is said with all the love and affection the world has had for Peter Jackson’s original Lord of the Rings films—and their slightly-less beloved successors in the Hobbit trilogy—themselves known, especially in their extended editions, for likewise being epic endeavors to sit down and watch.

Joelle Monique, The Wrap:

It’s rare to feel that one is stepping into another world; the seams of our reality are frequently present. Get lost in the beauty of this series. While it may feel heavy, there is an attempt to bring in comedy and heart with the dwarves, and the writers and directors (J.A. Bayona directs the first two installments) have tapped beautifully into fantasy-romance and horror to bring layers of texture to the script. Overall, “Lord of the Rings: Rings of Power” makes for an engaging and awe-inspiring watch.

Daniel Fienberg, The Hollywood Reporter:

Through two episodes made available for critics, The Rings of Power works far better than the three-year publicity build-up led me to fear. The first episode is dedicated primarily to world-building, exposition and proving that storytelling on this scale can be executed for television and generally succeeds, even if some of that exposition lags. Then in the second episode, the story starts to actually move along and there are characters and scenes that I found utterly charming in the way a show like this requires for long-term survival, even if some of the effects and epic scale diminish a tiny bit.

Rebecca Nicholson, The Guardian:

It is so rich and gorgeous that it is easy to spend the first episode simply gawping at the landscapes, as it swoops and swooshes between the lands of elves and dwarves, humans and harfoots. This is TV that is made for big screens, although surely destined to be watched on smaller ones. It is so cinematic and grand that it makes House of the Dragon look as if it has been cobbled together on Minecraft.

Dave Nemetz, TVLine:

Rings of Power is not just good, it’s great: a gorgeously immersive and grandly ambitious spectacle packed with stunning imagery and compelling plot threads. Most importantly, it captures the same sense of awe we felt while watching the Lord of the Rings movies — one we don’t often get to experience on the small screen.

Therese Lacson, Collider:

This is only an offering of the sheer scope of Amazon’s series, which feels absolutely immense. From the tempestuous Sundering Seas to the glorious halls of the dwarven kings, each location is richly created. It’s clear how much of the budget went into making these places look as magical as imagined. On top of that, composer Bear McCreary’s soundtrack plays off the familiar tunes of Howard Shore’s iconic soundtrack and instantly tugs at the heartstrings of anyone who would find themselves affected by the music of Middle-earth.

Charles Pulliam-Moore, The Verge:

Regardless of whether it’s streaming or airing on traditional networks, it’s rare that a series lives up to its studio’s dreams of it simultaneously feeling like a bingeable TV show and like a big, expensive cinematic event. Between a slate of strong performances, an eye for impactful minutiae, and a solid sense of its own ability to grow beyond the canon that it’s not technically a part of, The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power definitely seems like it could be just that.

Caroline Framke, Variety:

For now, however, it’s safe to say that Amazon throwing the weight of its coffers at this property has resulted in a perfectly winning adaptation that unfolds swashbuckling adventures with clear reverence and affection for the considerable mythos behind it. As the series forges ahead, combining storylines and leaving literal translation from page to screen behind, it will be telling to see just how ably “The Rings of Power” can stay rooted in its venerable source material while, inevitably, bending it into something new.

The first two episodes of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power premiere September 21 on Amazon Prime Video with new episodes arriving each Thursday.

Since the FBI seized hundreds of classified documents from Mar-a-Lago earlier this month, the biggest question on everyone’s mind — besides what sort of intel was actually in them — is what exactly Donald Trump planned to do with them. Defenders have come up with all sorts of reasons why the former president might hold on to top-secret documents that put the world in danger by being moved from the security of the White House, including for research to write his memoirs. If that were true, then what the hell would Trump need with “intelligence” on Emmanuel Macron’s sex life?

As Rolling Stone reports, item 1a on the list of documents and information seized from Mar-a-Lago is “info re: President of France.” While that’s as detailed as the official FBI list gets, Trump’s longtime obsession with all things Macron is hardly a secret to those closest to him. As Adam Rawnsley and Asawin Suebsaeng write for Rolling Stone:

Trump has bragged to some of his closest associates — both during and after his time in the White House — that he knew illicit details about the love life of French President Emmanuel Macron, two people with knowledge of the matter tell Rolling Stone. And the former president even claimed that he learned about some of this dirt through “intelligence” he had seen or been briefed on, these sources say.

While there’s no confirmation that the material seized from the president’s golf club/home is the same intel he has boasted about seeing in the past, or whether the material has anything to do with Macron’s personal life at all, the mere existence of it — and that it has been in Trump’s nubby little hands — has French officials, including Macron, worried. According to Rolling Stone:

[T]he mere revelation of its existence triggered a trans-Atlantic freakout, according to two other sources familiar with the situation. And Trump’s prior talk about Macron’s allegedly “naughty” ways that “[not] very many people know” only intensified those concerns. Both French and U.S. officials worked to figure out precisely what Trump had on Macron and France’s government, and if any of it was sensitive in nature, the sources said. The officials in both nations wanted to know if this discovery signified some kind of national-security breach — or if it amounted to a frivolous, but stolen, keepsake.

According to Trump’s staffers, including former White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham, the former president was known to love gossip — both receiving it and sharing it with whoever was listening. So it would make sense if the documents he had were salacious in nature.

Still, a French embassy spokesperson told Rolling Stone that they had not asked for any details on the documents recovered from Mar-a-Lago. Unlike Trump when he was in office, some presidents have real work to do.

(Via Rolling Stone)

With his new album Demons Protected By Angels coming September 9, Nav has revealed the album’s features, which include Babyface Ray, Bryson Tiller, Don Toliver, and more. On Tuesday, he shared a trailer for the album on his social media that opens with stunning aerial shots of his hometown, Toronto, then incorporates some eye-popping visual effects featuring the titular angels, demons, and a solar eclipse. It then lists the features, which also include Future, Lil Baby, Lil Durk, Lil Uzi Vert, RealestK, and Travis Scott.

So far, Nav has released two singles from the album. “Never Sleep” features Lil Baby and Travis Scott, while Nav flies solo on “Wrong Decisions.” Demons Protected By Angels is billed as Nav’s fourth studio album, and is preceded by 2020’s Good Intentions, which peaked at No. 1 on the Billboard 200. Since then, he’s released a deluxe reissue of the album titled Brown Boy 2 and a mixtape completely produced by Wheezy called Emergency Tsunami. He also featured on Internet Money’s hit single “Lemonade” alongside Don Toliver and Gunna and contributed features to songs from Belly, Rowdy Rebel, and Vory.

Demons Protected By Angels is due on 9/9 via XO/Republic Records. Stay tuned as the new album’s rollout continues.

The short answer for why Michael Scott doesn’t get along with Toby Flenderson on The Office is that he hates “so much about the things” that he chooses to be. But there’s a longer, more detailed explanation, too.

On the latest installment of the Office Ladies podcast (via Decider), hosts Jenna Fischer and Angela Kinsey discussed the season seven episode “Counseling,” in which Michael is assigned six hours of counseling with a professional after yelling at Toby and threatening to smash his face, among other workplace misconducts. Fischer brought up an interview with Paul Lieberstein, who plays Toby and also wrote for the show, in which “he said that Michael’s hatred of Toby goes back to a deleted scene from [season one’s] ‘The Alliance.’ This is where they found this, like, true hatred of Toby.”

Fischer: “In the scene, Toby is coming in to sign Meredith’s birthday card. And Paul said, ‘I just go in, write something quickly and leave — that’s the scene.’ But when they were shooting the scene, I guess it took Paul a long time to physically write down what he was going to write down.”

Kinsey: “I have a memory of this — that he was writing in the card and it took a bit.”

Fischer: “Paul said, ‘I could just feel him watching me and I could feel this hatred burning.’ And he said that Steve [Carell] told him afterwards that it was in that moment that he decided as Michael to hate Toby so much. That was when they ran with it, that Paul went to the writers and said, ‘Michael hates Toby.’ Because, you know, if Jim took a long time to write a message, he would have all the patience in the world.”

Michael shouldn’t, because Jim is objectively way worse than Toby. And if you disagree, you’re the “biggest liar of… history.” You can listen to the Office Ladies podcast below.

(Via Decider)

Taylor Swift’s last concert — not an SNL visit or TV special or acoustic performance of “All Too Well (10 Minute Version)” or Jingle Ball appearance, but a show that the public could buy tickets to — was on November 21, 2018. A lot has happened since then: Joe Biden replaced Donald Trump as president, Tyrese and Ludacris went to space, that whole pandemic thing. Also, Swift released three new albums, Lover, folklore, and evermore; five, if you could include the Taylor’s Versions of Fearless and Red; six, if you add Midnights, which comes out in October. By the time she hits the road again, she’ll be touring behind a half-dozen albums, maybe more if 1989 (Taylor’s Version) and/or Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) finally make it from daily Twitter trending topics to Spotify.

What the heck is that setlist going to look like?

It’s basically unprecedented for an artist of her scale to go that many albums between tours. Most stadium-level artists either retire but continue to release music, or go two, maybe three albums between world tours. Swift’s scenario is like Madonna releasing Like a Virgin, True Blue, Like a Prayer, and Erotica without hitting the road, or Beyoncé calling it quits after I Am… Sasha Fierce; The Beatles famously stopped touring in 1966, but they never resumed touring, so the comparison is mute. Through circumstances out of her control — namely, uh, the pandemic — Swift will have a lot of catching up to do.

With that mind, let’s look at the “average” setlist from her last tour, for Reputation.

1. “… Ready For It?”
2. “I Did Something Bad”
3. “Gorgeous”
4. “Style” / “Love Story” / “You Belong With Me”
5. “Look What You Made Me Do”
6. “End Game”
7. “King of My Heart”
8. “Delicate”
9. “Shake It Off”
10. “Dancing With Our Hands Tied”
11. [SPECIAL SONG]
12. “Blank Space”
13. “Dress”
14. “Bad Blood” / “Should’ve Said No”
15. “Don’t Blame Me”
16. “Long Live” / “New Year’s Day”
17. “Getaway Car”
18. “Call It What You Want”
19. “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together” / “This Is Why We Can’t Have Nice Things”

Not including track 11, which changed every show, that’s 12 songs from Reputation, two complete songs from 1989, and medleys featuring one or two songs from Taylor Swift, Fearless, Speak Now, and Red, even though the people (me) demanded a complete performance of “Should’ve Said No.” It obviously makes sense that tracks from Reputation would dominate the setlist, considering it was the Reputation Stadium Tour, but Swift won’t be awarded the same luxury with the next tour (assuming she doesn’t revive Lover Fest). So, again, what the heck is Miss Taylor Alison Swift going to do?

There are four options, as far as I see it:

1. Two shows in every city. One night is Lover through Midnights, songs she’s rarely, if ever, played before in a live setting; the next night is Taylor Swift through Reputation, including “vault” tracks. This option is unfortunately unlikely because double the shows in one city means fewer cities overall, or else she would be out on the road for years.

2. The setlist is post-Reputation songs only, i.e. songs that were released after her last tour. This has its advantages (it would ease the traffic jam of options, and fans would know in advance that they won’t hear “The Story of Us”) and disadvantages (no “The Story of Us”). But the Taylor’s Versions of Fearless and Red, and whatever else comes out before (hopefully) next year, are cheat codes of sorts. Songs that appeared on the original album would be off limits, but “Mr. Perfectly Fine,” “Message In a Bottle,” “I Bet You Think About Me,” the 10-minute version of “All Too Well” (the highlight of every set), etc. are fair game because they’re technically “new.” I think this is the most likely option.

3. She chooses one fan to pick the setlist in every city. “What would you pick, Josh?” Thank you for asking! This is my dream 20-song setlist:

1. “State of Grace”
2. “Cruel Summer”
3. “Mr. Perfectly Fine”
4. “Cornelia Street”
5. “I’m Only Me When I’m with You”
6. “Blank Space”
7. “Delicate”
8. “All Too Well (10-Minute Version)”
9. “Style”
10. “Love Story”
11. “You Belong with Me”
12. “Death By a Thousand Cuts”
13. “Mirrorball”
14. “Exile”
15. “Happiness”
16. “Champagne Problems”
17. “The Story of Us”
18. “New Romantics”
19. “Message In a Bottle”
20. “Shake It Off”

Now, before getting mad at me because I grouped together the folklore and evermore tracks as an acoustic suite and left out “Sparks Fly”… and “Enchanted”… and “Holy Ground”… and “This Is Me Trying”… and “The Last Great American Dynasty,” you should know: 1) I’m mad at myself, and 2) it’s really hard trimming 200-plus songs down to 20. No setlist is going to have every song you want to hear, unless…

4. Every show is five hours long.

I hope it’s #4.