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Is it possible to be “fatigued” of pizza?

No.

Counterpoint: yeah… the answer is still no.

But Papa Johns has a counter-counterpoint. The pizza chain claims that the reason sales for its North American locations grew under one percent in the second quarter of 2022, compared to five percent in the same period last year, is because people are tired of pizza. “There’s a general thought that there could be a little bit of pizza fatigue,” Scott Rodriguez, senior vice president of menu strategy and innovation at Papa Johns, told CNN. “Because that’s all we’ve had for the last couple of years.”

To increase sales, Papa Johns, which underwent a rebirth after greasy founder John Schnatter left the company after he used the n-word during a conference call (among other misdeeds), has introduced a new item to its menu: the Papa Bowl. That involuntary shudder you just experienced is normal. The day of reckoning has arrived.

To get people excited about pizza again, Papa Johns is offering a new spin on the classic, with Papa Bowls that are all topping — no crust. The Papa Bowl comes in three varieties, Garden Veggie, Chicken Alfredo, and Italian Meats Trio. They are available to the company’s loyalty members this week and will roll out nationally next, and cost $7.99.

The creation of the Papa Bowl apparently isn’t a bet gone horribly wrong, but rather, it aims to remove the “veto vote,” in which “an eatery gets ruled out because it doesn’t have enough options for everyone in the dining party,” according to CNN. We all have that one friend who refuses to eat a normal slice of pizza because they would rather a sloppy pile of meat and cheese and veggies instead. “Let’s slop ’em up.”

We’ll have a review soon, but until then, let’s see what social media is saying about the Papa Bowl.

Going great so far!

In a new profile in Esquire, former GOOD Music artist Kid Cudi says it would take nothing short of a miracle to repair his fractured relationship with his erstwhile mentor Kanye West. Once upon a timeline, the two seemed inseparable; as recently as 2018, they had collaborated together on a joint album titled Kids See Ghosts and were even said to be working on an animated project based on the album. But apparently, Cudi has had his fill of Kanye’s antics in the intervening years and said “enough is enough.”

Sadly, he’s not the only artist formerly signed to West’s label whose relationship with the mercurial producer has soured since leaving the label. In fact, Kanye seems to have made it a point to alienate practically everyone who ever shared the stage with him prior to his first public show of support for Donald Trump in 2016. It makes a certain kind of sense; of course, those artists who teamed up with him after that wouldn’t have minded, but many of those who worked with him early on must feel a sense of betrayal.

Kanye certainly does. In interviews he’s given throughout the year, he’s identified his support of Trump — and his own disastrous presidential bid — as the major breaking point in nearly all of his relationships. He’s apparently felt hurt by what he perceived as a lack of support during that tumultuous time. Whether they were truly disloyal or he caused the schisms himself with his erratic behavior is debatable. But either way, it’s clear that things have gone bad at GOOD Music. Here’s where Kanye stands with his former artists.

Big Sean

During Kanye’s appearance on the Drink Champs podcast in November, he proclaimed that the worst thing he ever did was sign Big Sean. Sean himself said that he was baffled by Kanye’s comment, pointing out that he “was just wit this man, he ain’t say none of that!” After revealing that Kanye still owes him royalties from his time on the label — he completed his contract with Detroit 2 in 2020 — Sean went on Drink Champs himself a month later, calling Kanye’s assertion “some bitch-ass sh*t.” He also shot down Ye’s complaint that he was unsupportive of his presidential campaign, saying that he isn’t interested in politics one way or the other (which is something of a political position in itself). However, they were seen together at a studio in Los Angeles, leaving the ultimate fate of their relationship a big question mark.

Common

It could be argued that Kanye’s intervention revitalized Common’s musical career in the late 2000s after Com misstepped with the experimental (and misunderstood) Electric Circus. Com’s Kanye-produced follow-up, Be, is widely considered one of the Chicago rapper’s best and earned him enough goodwill to renew interest in his music. Fittingly, Com’s been reluctant to talk about the status of his relationship with the younger rapper, maintaining that he still feels a kinship with him and that he wishes they’d made just one more album together.

Desiigner

Of the former GOOD Music artists who released more than one record on the label, Desiigner’s the one whose friction with Kanye stems most from his treatment while signed there. In 2019, he admitted that he felt ignored by GOOD Music’s leadership, asking for the label to release him on Twitter after saying “I’ve been doing this sh*t myself” on Instagram earlier that year. In 2021, Desiigner released “Letter To Ye,” a nostalgic reflection on his time with the label in which he relishes the highs but also deplores the way Kanye treated him.

John Legend

Along with Kid Cudi, John Legend is one of the handful of artists who makes no bones about his standing with Kanye. Earlier this year, he told CNN’s David Axelrod, “We aren’t friends as much as we used to be.” He attributes the change in their relationship to his refusal to support Kanye’s 2020 presidential campaign, something Ye himself alluded to on Drink Champs. As Legend puts it, “I honestly think because we publicly disagreed on his running for office, his supporting Trump. I think it became too much for us to sustain our friendship, honestly.”

Kid Cudi

The fracture between Cudi and Kanye seems to stem as much from Cudi’s continued friendship with Pete Davidson as anything else. Considering how Kanye felt about those who distanced themselves from his support of Donald Trump, it makes sense he’d want his friends to side with him in his one-man war against his ex’s new (now ex-) boo. However, Cudi and Davidson had formed a bond stemming from their shared affinity for comedy and mutual struggles with mental health — something you’d think Kanye would relate to. Unfortunately, as he’s told us repeatedly in the past, he’s insecure and immature, cutting Cudi off and even cruelly mocking his old friend for being pelted with objects during his Rolling Loud set.

Teyana Taylor

It’s difficult to get a read on just where Teyana Taylor stands with Kanye these days, but when you consider her declaring her retirement from music over label frustrations in 2020, you have to imagine that at least some of that stems from Kanye. When collaborator Mykki Blanco said that they weren’t paid for their contributions to Taylor’s 2018 album KTSE, Teyana deferred the complaints to Kanye, GOOD, and Def Jam. While it is generally the label’s job to handle those sorts of disputes, it’s telling that she included Kanye in her response. After feeling underappreciated at GOOD Music, there’s no wonder that some of that disappointment would be pointed at Kanye, but Teyana has remained mum as to whether the two remain on speaking terms.

LeBron James isn’t going anywhere. According to reports by Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN and Shams Charania of The Athletic, James and the Los Angeles Lakers came to terms on a 2-year max contract extension that is slated to keep him in the purple and gold through potentially the 2024-25 campaign.

The pair report that James will get a deal worth $97.1 million, while Wojnarowski brings word that the second year of James’ deal includes a player option. James was previously slated to enter this year with one year left on his deal before he had the opportunity to hit unrestricted free agency.

Wojnarowski added another fun wrinkle: James has the potential to make more money on this deal. If the NBA’s salary cap substantially increases in the lead-up to the 2023-23 campaign, James’ deal apparently increases to $111 million.

Despite the fact that the Lakers missed out on the postseason this past year, James was still ultra productive, even without mentioning that he turned 37 last year. James averaged 30.3 points, 8.2 rebounds, and 6.2 assists in 37.2 minutes per game, but only appeared in 56 games due to a short bout with COVID and injuries. There are still plenty of questions about what Los Angeles will look like next year, but at the very least, they’ll know they are going into battle with one of the greatest players of all time on their roster.

San Bernardino rapper KINGMOSTWANTED has proved he’s one of Cali’s most promising talents. His single “In My City” had a viral moment on Tik-Tok, piling millions of views and thousands of videos from creators. And with singles like “Cali Lovin” and collaborations with West Coast artists like AZ Chike, label mate MCM Raymond & KayDaBandit, KINGMOSTWANTED doesn’t shy away from his roots.

In today’s UPROXX Sessions, he represents the West with his single “Cali Lovin,” sampling Ice Cube’s infamous 90’s banger “Check Yo Self. The song is upbeat and boastful, selling California dreams with KINGMOSTWANTED rapping of the state’s infamous Interstate 10 (I-10) and lyrics like “weed puffin, Cali loving, the music up high and I’m outchea thuggin.” In addition to delivering a turnt-up rendition of his latest single, he brings his crew, a cup of coffee, and a laid-back cadence to Uproxx Studios.

Watch KingMostWanted perform “Cali Lovin” for UPROXX Sessions above.

UPROXX Sessions is Uproxx’s performance show featuring the hottest up-and-coming acts you should keep an eye on. Featuring creative direction from LA promotion collective, Ham On Everything, and taking place on our “bathroom” set designed and painted by Julian Gross, UPROXX Sessions is a showcase of some of our favorite performers, who just might soon be yours, too.

Jared Kushner‘s new book has been ruthlessly eviscerated in a brutal review by The New York Times. Like all things Trump, Kushner’s tome, Breaking History: A White House Memoir, appears to be shamelessly opportunistic and devoid of substance. Granted, those are our words, and not Times writer Dwight Garner’s, who went to town on the former president’s son-in-law “soulless and earnest” book way more eloquently than we ever could.

“Kushner writes as if he believes foreign dignitaries (and less-than dignitaries) prized him in the White House because he was the fresh ideas guy, the starting point guard, the dimpled go-getter,” Garner wrote. “He betrays little cognizance that he was in demand because, as a landslide of other reporting has demonstrated, he was in over his head.”

As Garner continues, he slams the book for Kushner’s selective recollection of the January 6 attack (he didn’t hear about until later in the day). He also calls out Kushner’s smug satisfaction with his Secret Service codename (“mechanic”), which Kushner clearly doesn’t realize was a jab at his nepotistic presence in the White House where he didn’t fix much of anything. Via The New York Times:

“Breaking History” is an earnest and soulless — Kushner looks like a mannequin, and he writes like one — and peculiarly selective appraisal of Donald J. Trump’s term in office. Kushner almost entirely ignores the chaos, the alienation of allies, the breaking of laws and norms, the flirtations with dictators, the comprehensive loss of America’s moral leadership, and so on, ad infinitum, to speak about his boyish tinkering (the “mechanic”) with issues he was interested in.

Garner goes on to criticize Kushner’s memoir for its “college admissions essay” tone before twisting the knife: “This book is like a tour of a once majestic 18th-century wooden house, now burned to its foundations, that focuses solely on, and rejoices in, what’s left amid the ashes: the two singed bathtubs, the gravel driveway and the mailbox. Kushner’s fealty to Trump remains absolute. Reading this book reminded me of watching a cat lick a dog’s eye goo.” Ouch.

(Via The New York Times)

People hate The Chainsmokers. Clearly not all people based on how successful the electronic/pop duo is, but hundreds of thousands of Google search results indicate there is indeed some hate. The hate is so prominent, in fact, that the duo actually addressed it on their 2018 single “Everybody Hates Me.” They had some palpable hate fly their way recently, when T.I. punched the group’s Drew Taggart in the face.

The Chainsmokers shared a TikTok yesterday and it starts with the title “When meeting T.I. goes wrong” over footage of them posing for photos with the rapper at an event. The video then cuts to Taggart in a car, saying as others laugh in the background, “T.I. just literally punched me in the face. We were on a vibe, and I gave him a kiss on the cheek; It was totally my fault. He was like, ‘Don’t do that.’ I was like, ‘OK.’ He pushed me off and I was like, ‘Alright, my bad.’

Fellow Chainsmoker Alex Pall interjected, “Dude, his friend goes, ‘You need to get your boy,’ and I go, ‘What the f…,’ I don’t even know what happened. I had no context.”

Taggart continued, “He punched me in the face, and I was like, ‘OK, I’m sorry.’ And he was like, ‘Alright, cool, we’re good.’ It was the weirdest interaction ever.” He went on to elaborate, “First of all, T.I.’s fully in the right here. I was feeling the vibes way too hard and I kissed T.I. on the cheek [laughs] and he punched me in the face for it. It’s fully fine.”

In a 17-minute video shared on Instagram today, T.I. told his side of the story, and like Taggart, T.I. had a good-natured take on the proceedings. He just laughs for about the first 30 seconds of the video and indicates he’s been made aware of the situation becoming a matter of public interest. He continues, “OK, first of all, I love The Chainsmokers [laughs], OK, so let’s just get that straight. I love The Chainsmokers, first of all. I have nothing negative to say. We just had to work through some stuff and we worked through it. We got to a much better place.”

He didn’t get into specifics of what happened, but he did say, “There’s really not much more to the story than you’ve already heard.” He added, “Afterwards, we had a drink, we took a shot, you know what I’m saying, and we moved on.” He also said, “Love The Chainsmokers… not to get no sugar, though, you know what I’m saying?”

T.I. also invited the duo to guest on his ExpediTIously podcast, so perhaps a more detailed account of what happened is on the way.

88 Rising’s Head In The Clouds fest is set to takeoff this weekend in Pasadena, CA, but one of the music festival’s headliners won’t be appearing. Niki, the Indonesian singer and songwriter whose name was firmly entrenched atop the celebration of Asian representation in the music world, has tested positive for COVID-19 and announced via Twitter that she won’t be able to perform at Head In The Clouds.

“I’m SO very sorry to disappoint,” she wrote in a message to fans. “Those who know me know I cannot STAND not following through with a commitment & I was truly looking forward to putting on the best show for you all this year. But alas, life is unpredictable.”

Niki continued, “A very exciting silver-lining: My dear friend Keshi has decided to save the day & join the line up!! Please go shower him with the warmest welcome.”

While the Vietnamese-American alt-R&B singer will replace Niki on the lineup, it’s actually Joji’s Yebi Labs DJ set that will fill Niki’s headlining slot.

Taking place at the Brookside at the Rose Bowl venue, Head In The Clouds is a two-day festival on August 20th and 21st. Other acts who will be performing include Rich Brian, Jackson Wang, Dumbfoundead, Jay Park, Audrey Nuna & Deb Never, and more.

Hailey and Justin Bieber have been only been married for about three years, but the couple has been through their fair share of trying times. In April, Hailey underwent heart surgery following the discovery of a stroke-like blood clot on her brain. This past June, Justin was diagnosed with Ramsay Hunt syndrome, which left him paralyzed in half of his face.

In an interview with Harper’s Bazaar for the magazine’s annual Icons issue, Hailey shared how dealing with their health problems has helped them grow as a couple.

“I just think life is changing all the time. […] Day to day, week to week, year to year,” she said. “I think a perfect example of that is over the last six months, both of us have gone through very serious health issues… You have to figure out how to deal with this sh*t as it comes, you know? There’s a reason they say ‘for better or for worse.’”

While the issues the couple has faced have proven challenging, Hailey said there’s no other person with whom she’d rather go through life.

“At the end of the day, like, he’s my best friend,” she said, “but it still does take a lot of work to make it work.”

Cats have a reputation for being aloof and standoffish, like they’re better than everyone and simply can’t be bothered. Those of us who have cats know they’re not always like that … but yes, they’re sometimes like that. They can be sweet and affectionate, but they want affection on their terms, they want to eat and play and sleep on their own clock, and we puny, inferior humans have little say in the matter.

There’s a reason why we have obedience schools for dogs and not for cats. Maine coon or Bengal, Savannah or Siamese, ragdoll or sphynx, domestic cats of all breeds are largely untrainable little punks who lure us into loving them by blessing us with the honor of stroking their fur and hearing them purr.

But perhaps we assume too much when we think cats are full of themselves for no good reason. Maybe they are actually somewhat justified in their snootiness. Maybe they really, truly are superior to pretty much every other creature on Earth and that’s why they act like it.

(Cats, if they could talk, would be nodding and prodding us along at this point: “Yes, yes, you’re so close. Just a little further now, keep going.”)

Think about it. They’re beautiful and graceful, but also quick and powerful. They groom constantly so they’re almost always clean and their fur even smells good. They can fall from ridiculous heights, land on their feet and walk away unscathed. They’re wicked good ambush hunters. They can walk completely silently, like ninjas, then pull out the razor blades on their feet at will and do serious damage in an instant.

All of that makes them impressive specimens, but ironically it’s their total hubris that makes them truly superior. When they feel like it (because cats only do things they feel like doing) they will take on anyone and anything. Big, small, dangerous, fierce—doesn’t matter. That unbridled confidence—earned or not—combined with their physique and skill makes them the badasses of the animal world.

Want proof? Here ya go:

u201cI love cats, they are very brave and there is a challenge in their nature! u2764ufe0fud83dude02ud83dude02nnu201d

— Figen (@Figen)
1660655908

The lightning-fast smackdown is really the cat’s weapon of choice, isn’t it? They’re so fast with the swipe-slap, it takes their victims by surprise. “Aww, you’re so cute and cuddly, look at y—OUCH!” And then the way they just stand there and stare with their big eyes and their ears back. It’s unnerving. Throw in a little hiss or yowl, and no thank you.

If that video wasn’t enough to convince you, here’s another.

The snakes, man. I can’t get over the snakes.

Cats really are better than us and every other living thing, basically. And even if they aren’t, they believe they are, which counts just as much. They’re either the ultimate creatures or the ultimate conmen. Either way, you just don’t mess with them.

Five teens from Rome, Georgia, recently earned their spot as heroes. Antwion Carey, Alto Moore, Tyson Brown, Cesar Parker and Treyvon Adams were driving to school when they witnessed a car accident. The accident left a woman trapped in her vehicle, which they noticed was starting to smoke.

Their teacher, Louis Goya, heard the accident as he was standing outside of the school greeting students as they entered school.

Goya told USA Today that he ran to the intersection when he heard the noise and called 911. The teacher recalled, “There was smoke coming up from the hood. There was fluid on the ground,” before relaying to the dispatcher, “We need to hurry!” The teen boys that witnessed the crash are football players and their strength came in handy when the decision was made to help the woman trapped in the car. In this instance, the teens were in the right place at the right time.

The photos of the woman’s car show it to be pretty badly damaged and both doors were tightly shut due to the impact of the accident. The boys didn’t hesitate to help the woman at the scene. Adams, 16, told Fox 5, “We all knew we had to get her out before something worse would happen.”

The football players ran over to help when they saw the woman screaming and with blood on her face. They tried the door on the passenger side first and when it wouldn’t open, the video shows they ran to the other side of the car and collectively yanked on the door. After a few good tugs, the door swung open and they were able to get the woman to safety. But the athletes weren’t done. Once they realized the woman was safe, they went to check on the other car involved in the crash.

Their coach was impressed by their heroism, but not surprised. Coach John Reid told Fox 5, “When I saw the video I was like, oh my gosh, these kids really did run right into danger and have a sensational event where they helped a lady out of a car that could have caught fire.”

Rome City School District posted about the event on its Facebook page and the comments are filled with praise for the teens. Goya, who witnessed the boys’ heroism firsthand, gave a statement about their bravery on the Facebook post, saying in part, “The Rome High School football players really showed up today. They went above and beyond to help this lady without hesitation.”

It’s true. These teen boys are absolutely heroes. Thanks to their quick thinking the woman involved in the accident was able to be brought to safety. She was transported to the hospital where she was treated for cuts and bruises and X-rayed to look for fractures. Currently it is unclear if she was released.

Way to go guys! We’re sure you’ll continue to do great things in your lifetimes.