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Showtime’s Yellowjackets certainly left a lot of questions unanswered through its chilling first season, but that’s kind of the point. The drama needs mystery and a bit of mysticism to keep it moving, but as eagle-eyed viewers of the show know what does get shown on screen is all there for a reason.

And that includes the costuming and characterization of the various personalities from the doomed high school soccer team from New Jersey. As viewers of the show scoured scenes for neon pink Chuck Taylors and various sweatshirts to decipher what happened out in the forest, other details about certain characters were a bit more overt. Like making Ella Purnell’s Jackie something very different from the popular girls found in other high school dramas.

In an interview with Vanity Fair, the Yellowjackets showrunners, designers, and Purnell herself detailed the thought process behind Jackie and how they brought her to life. For one, everyone involved wanted to make sure they didn’t just create a character like Regina George from Mean Girls.

“I think there were a lot of people who came in thinking, This is going to be Regina George,” Ashley Lyle, who created and runs the series with husband Bart Nickerson, says of some of the actors who auditioned for the role. “That was absolutely not what we wanted. We wanted somebody who had a natural, inherent fragility just under the perfect, beautiful surface.… In my experience, there is no such thing as a teenager without insecurities.”

Purnell didn’t want the queen bee trope either, though the 25-year-old has encountered it plenty of times over the course of her career. “I definitely was over playing anything close to stereotypical, so I wanted to make sure that she was vulnerable,” she says. “Maybe she says some things that come off a little insensitive, but that’s only because she’s insecure.”

The vulnerability certainly comes through after the plane crash, as Jackie is slowly ostracized from the group and other characters find their footing out in the wild. And small differences in the character’s costuming helped audiences visually understand that growing gap between Jackie and the others.

Her breakdown is also reflected in her costumes. “Her clothes are cleaner than other people’s in the body of the series, and she’s still wearing pretty pulled-together looks, like a vest over a button-down shirt. I don’t think anybody else is really putting together their looks in that same way,” Schley says. Toward the end of the season, as the survivors become more desperate and turn on one another, and particularly in the penultimate episode, “Doomcoming,” Jackie “becomes a little bit less put together,” Schley says, as her power within the group weakens.

Other ways Jackie was highlighted were a bit more unexpected, though. The throat slash/smirk at the camera at the 30-second mark of the show’s opening credits, for example, has become one of the most memorable characterizations of Jackie’s pre-crash personality. Interestingly, that scene never actually made it into an episode: in the interview, Purnell said she had to text the other actors in a group chat to figure out when she even shot it.

The full piece is loaded with small details like that, which will help fans eager for a second season of Yellowjackets bide their time for just a bit longer.

On Britney Spears’ wedding day to Sam Ashgari earlier this month, her ex-husband Jason Alexander trespassed onto the property hours before the wedding ceremony was to begin. We reported on footage that surfaced of Alexander entering the house, frantically shouting “Where is Britney?!” while being followed by security guards. At one point in the first video that TMZ posted, Alexander can be heard saying, “Hey, I can trespass, y’all don’t gotta have a gun.” And now, new details have emerged according to a Rolling Stone report with comments from the security guard’s testimony — whom Spears reportedly fired after the incident — at a preliminary hearing in Ventura County where Alexander is being charged with felony stalking, and more.

According to the security guard, Richard N. Eubeler, he and Alexander were at a standstill of sorts in front of Spears’ locked bedroom door. “He started reaching into his right pocket,” Eubeler said, “I drew my weapon and held it to my chest.” This seems to explain the exchange we referenced above, where Alexander told the guard that a gun wasn’t necessary. Eubeler eventually got Alexander out of the house, but then testified that Alexander punched him in the chest when he was trying to get back into the house. Eubeler also said that he and his team had seen Alexander “lurking” around the property on both May 28th, and June 8th, the day before the wedding, and had told him to stay away.

Alexander definitely seemed unhinged as he paraded around the property desperately looking for Britney. Along with the felony stalking charge, he’s also facing charges for misdemeanor battery and trespassing. He has pled not guilty to all of the charges. Meanwhile, Captain Cameron Henderson of the Ventura County Sheriff’s Dept told Rolling Stone that Alexander had a knife on him at the time, but that it, “Was in no way involved with the incident.”

As for Britney, Eubeler testified that “she was very upset and wanted everybody to leave the property.” And being “upset” seems like a beyond reasonable response to this incident considering she was about to get married. Spears’ lawyer, Mathew Rosengart, told Rolling Stone that, “This was an outrageous security breach, which I am livid about, but fortunately Britney is safe and she was a stunning and happy bride.”

Earlier this week, a source that went by the name PopTopic (red flag no. 1) claimed that Johnny Depp was in talks to return Pirates Of The Caribbean franchise where he starred as the fast-talking drunken pirate Captain Jack Sparrow for five movies. Depp was allegedly in negotiations to return to Disney with a giant $301 million deal. As it turns out, the claim is false.

According to E! Online, a representative for the actor said the claim was “made up.” There is a future Pirates movie in the works, though the movie has been going forward without Depp for some time. Earlier this year, producer Jerry Bruckheimer shot down rumors that Depp was involved.

Depp himself said, under oath, that he would not return to the franchise if Disney asked. During the defamation trial against ex-wife Amber Heard, Heard’s lawyer asked, “Mr. Depp, if Disney came to you with $300 million and a million alpacas, nothing on this earth would get you to go back and work with Disney on a Pirates of the Caribbean film? Correct?” To which Depp replied, “That is true, Mr. Rottenborn.” That’s probably where the idea of a “$301 million deal” came from!

Even though Depp has no plans to be a pirate on screen, he seems to be fine with donning the infamous black eyeliner on stage as he is set to head out on tour with Alice Cooper next year in Europe, which should be interesting considering a judge in the U.K. once called him a “monster.”

(Via E! Online)

As a daytime talk show focused on women, naturally, The View delved into the controversial Supreme Court ruling that overturned Roe v. Wade. As always, Whoopi Goldberg did not pull her punches, and the fiery co-host had some choice words for Justice Clarence Thomas, whose opinion opened the door for a cornucopia of regressive decisions that could peel back everything from gay rights, contraception, and even interracial marriage. A topic that Goldberg notes Thomas should be very concerned with.

“We were not in the Constitution either. We were not even people in the Constitution,” Goldberg said of African-Americans who were legally allowed to be owned as slaves. “You better hope that they don’t come for you, Clarence! And say you should not be married to your wife who happens to be white. And you better hope that nobody says, ‘You know, well, you’re not in the Constitution, you’re back to being a quarter of a person,’ because that’s not going to work either!”

Goldberg also took Thomas to task for putting the right to contraception in jeopardy. Via The Daily Beast:

“And I appreciate everybody’s religion, but I do not subscribe to your religion. I don’t ask you to subscribe to mine. And you do not have the right based on your religious beliefs to tell me because what’s next? As Clarence Thomas is signaling, they would like to get rid of contraception. Do you understand, sir? No, because you don’t have to use it!”

Granted, Thomas’ opinion did not specifically mention the landmark decision in Loving v. Virginia, which allowed interracial marriage, but he did mention several similar decisions that could easily be overturned. As Goldberg so fiercely noted, there is nothing stopping this court from deciding Loving should be in the mix, too.

(Via The Daily Beast)

Chaka Zulu, Ludacris‘ longtime manager and the president of their label Disturbing Tha Peace, is in the hospital after being wounded in a triple shooting in Buckhead, Atlanta last night, according to XXL and the local news. The shooting took place around 11:30 pm Sunday night outside a restaurant called Apt4b. A dispute escalated into gunfire as a male shooter killed one person and hit two others, including the music impresario, who underwent surgery and is expected to recover. Police are reviewing surveillance footage to identify the shooter.

Chaka Zulu, Ludacris, and Chaka’s brother Jeff Dixon founded DTP in 1998 to promote Luda’s music after he was turned down for a record deal by the major labels at the time. Eventually, spurred by the success of its marquee rapper and roster additions including Bobby V, Chingy, Lil Scrappy, Playaz Circle (which included 2 Chainz, rapping under the name Tity Boi), and Shawnna, DTP became a subsidiary of Def Jam, pumping out a string of hits throughout the 2000s, and producing the 2 Fast 2 Furious soundtrack.

In other Ludacris-related news, the self-described “worst hoarder of all” recently received an honorary degree from Georgia State, celebrating by buying himself a private jet — which he can fly himself after taking lessons during the pandemic. Maybe in the next Fast & Furious movie, his character will be due for an upgrade from a sports car to something that can really fly.

Coldplay performs for big crowds: The band’s A Head Full Of Dreams Tour in 2016 and 2017 (the sixth highest-grossing concert tour ever) had an average attendance of about 47,000 people per show. Recently, though, Chris Martin played for a significantly smaller audience: just a few people in a small pub.

As NME notes, Martin was recently spotted at The Stag Inn pub in Hinton Charterhouse, England. In a video recently shared by The Stag Inn on Twitter, Martin is seated at a piano, chatting with an off-camera couple, who note they’re getting married in August. Beyond that, it sounds like there are a handful of other people in the room. After some more conversation and laughs, Martin turns back to the keys and performs some of 2014’s “A Sky Full Of Stars.”

As for Coldplay’s ongoing Music Of The Spheres World Tour, it has yielded some headlines of its own in recent months. In late March, just after the death of Foo Fighters’ Taylor Hawkins, the band dedicated a rendition of “Everglow” to the late drummer. Earlier this month, they were joined on stage by Bruce Springsteen and about a week later, Kelly Rowland took the stage with the group to assist on a Destiny’s Child cover.

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

The 2021-22 NBA season was, uh, quite the doozy for the Brooklyn Nets, one that culminated in a first-round sweep at the hands of the Boston Celtics.

Kyrie Irving refused to get vaccinated and hardly played, a storyline that dominated news surrounding the team. James Harden requested a trade midway through the year and received it in early February. Kevin Durant missed significant time with an injury. And the star that Harden yielded, Ben Simmons, did not suit up once, due to a litany of ailments.

Needless to say, it was a season any organization would prefer to forget and aim to avoid in the future. In the Nets’ case, the chaos was so taxing that they’d rather not endure another season like it than retain Irving and Durant, if such an ultimatum confronted them, according to ESPN’s Brian Windhorst.

“They are are prepared to lose both Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant,” Windhorst said. “They would rather lose them both than go through what they went through last season, which was a miserable season under the situation that Kyrie Irving contributed to creating.”

Irving has a $36 million player option for 2022-23 and the deadline to opt in or decline it is Wednesday at 5 p.m. ET — with the Nets apparently giving him permission to find sign-and-trade opportunities with other teams. Meanwhile, Durant inked a four-year extension with Brooklyn last August, which kicks in next season and runs through 2025-26.

With Irving’s decision imminent and reports indicating it could have significant bearing on Durant’s future, this development only stands to swell in interest over the coming days, weeks and months.

The Regrettes third album, Further Joy, came out this past April and it’s filled with sticky, infectious pop rock brimming with spry energy. Led by singer and primary songwriter Lydia Night, the band have been touring the US, Europe, and music festivals ever since and today, just dropped the new video for the catchy single “Barely On My Mind.”

In the clip, the band courses through a Brooklyn street, having a conversation with each other, but then having a totally different conversation inside of their heads. It was filmed when The Regrettes had a mere a four-hour window ahead of their sold out show at New York City’s Irving Plaza, and what came out of it is a creative take on how our mind wanders on the regular. Or, as Director Claire Vogel says, “Sometimes, no matter how hard we try, our thoughts take over reason.”

Watch the video for “Barely On My Mind” above and check out the full upcoming 2022 tour schedule for The Regrettes below. And if you just can’t get enough, the band also shared a new live version of “Barely On My Mind” taken from their Shaky Knees Festival performance here.

06/27 — London, England @ Rough Trade East
06/29 — Manchester, England @ Castlefield Bowl
07/01 — Rotselaar, Belgium @ Rock Werchter Festival
07/02 — Arras, France @ Main Square Festival
07/03 — Bilbao, Spain @ Bilbao Bizkaia Rock Day
07/05 — Madrid, Spain (With Incubus) @ La Riviera
07/06 — Madrid, Spain @ Mad Cool Festival
07/08 — Glasgow, Scotland @ TRNSMT Festival
07/09 — Cheltenham, England @ 2000 Trees
07/10 — Montreux, Switzerland @ Montreux Jazz Festival
07/23 — Salt Lake City, UT @ The Depot
07/26 — Minneapolis, MN @ Varsity Theater
07/27 — Madison, WI @ Majestic Theatre
07/28 — Chicago, IL @ Lincoln Hall (Lolla Aftershow)
07/29 — Chicago, IL @ Lollapalooza
07/31 — Hampton Township, PA @ Allegheny County Summer Concert Series
08/02 — Detroit, MI @ The Magic Stick
08/03 — Cleveland, OH @ Beachland Ballroom
08/04 — Columbus, OH @ Newport Music Hall
08/06 — Kansas City, MO @ Innovation Fest
08/08 — Denver, CO @ Marquis Theater
08/11 — Los Angeles, CA @ The Wiltern
08/12 — San Diego, CA @ The Observatory North Park
08/13 — Santa Ana, CA @ The Observatory
08/16 — Portland, OR @ Wonder Ballroom
08/17 — Vancouver, BC @ Fortune Sound Club
08/18 — Seattle, WA @ Neptune Theatre
08/20 — San Francisco, CA @ The Fillmore
09/22-25 — Dover, DE @ Firefly Music Festival

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

After taking a six-month hiatus in performing in the wake of the fatal events at his Houston Astroworld Festival in late 2021, Travis Scott has slowly begun to roll out a slate of return performances. After popping up at small parties for the Oscars and Coachella, Travis booked a headlining set for Primavera Sound in Sao Paulo. Then, in May, Travis performed his new single “Mafia” at the 2022 Billboard Music Awards before being announced as one of the headliners for the return of the upcoming Day N Vegas festival. Meanwhile, his first club performance in May reportedly charged $50,000 for tables due to high demand.

Today, according to Rolling Stone, Travis booked his first solo headlining concert, which is scheduled for August 6 at London’s O2 Arena, which has a 20,000-person capacity. it’s likely he’ll use the response as a test case to determine the approach for any tour he’ll have for his upcoming album Utopia.

Still, he’ll likely remain in a sticky position as a result of the Astroworld tragedy, which spawned hundreds of lawsuits and almost 5,000 injury claims. Those lawsuits have been combined into one case which has yet to be tried. Meanwhile, Travis’ attempts to make amends, such as his Project HEAL initiative, have been criticized as PR stunts committed in the interest of generating positive publicity.

On May 1, 1969, Fred Rogers sat before the Senate Subcommittee on Communications to make the case for funding children’s educational programming. His show, Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood, had recently become nationally syndicated, and the program relied on the $20 million in government funding allotted to public broadcasting. That funding was on the chopping block, with President Nixon wanting to cut it in half, so Rogers went to Washington, D.C., to advocate for the funding before Congress.

In a video clip of Rogers’ testimony, we can see how subcommittee chairman Senator John O. Pastore sat across from Rogers, appearing somewhat disinterested. He had never heard of or seen Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood and wasn’t familiar with Rogers himself.

“Alright Rogers, you have the floor,” he said in an almost condescending tone.

(Side note: Who in their right mind condescends to Mister Rogers? Granted, Senator Pastore didn’t know who he was and the world hadn’t yet realized his wholesome amazingness yet, so it’s somewhat forgivable. Still funny to see it, though.)

For six minutes, we watch Fred Rogers work his calm, compassionate magic on the committee. As he methodically and eloquently made his argument, Pastore became transfixed and ultimately transformed.

Rogers described how he speaks to children on his show and how he felt that showing people working out their emotions was much more dramatic than gunfire.

“I feel that if we in public television can only make it clear that feelings are mentionable—and manageable—we will have done a great service for mental health,” he said. “I’m constantly concerned about what our children are seeing, and for 15 years, I have tried—in this country and in Canada—to present what I feel is a meaningful expression of care.”

The senator was moved by Rogers’ words. “I’m supposed to be a pretty tough guy, and this is the first time I’ve had goosebumps in the past two days,” he said.

By the end, Pastore was totally on board. “I think it’s wonderful,” he concluded. “I think it’s wonderful. Looks like you just earned yourself the $20 million.”

Watch how Rogers did it:

It’s not just that Rogers explained himself well. According to Jean Greaves, Ph.D., specialist in Industrial-Organizational Psychology and author of “Emotional Intelligence 2.0,” Rogers used four specific skills to connect with the committee members and influence their decision-making.

Greaves wrote that Rogers utilized self-awareness by knowing—and sharing—his own expertise and experience with children’s programming. He stayed focused and kept his emotions in check, even while sharing his feelings, which used the skill of self-management. Utilizing social awareness, Rogers read his audience and understood what they valued. (“Mr. Rogers understood he was addressing a senator who was more than just the decision maker—he was a man who used to be a boy, a man who had a family, and a senator whose sworn duty was to represent the needs of Americans,” Greaves wrote.) Finally, he used relationship management to make a personal connection with the senator, telling him he trusted him to read his statement and acknowledging that they shared the same concern for the quality of children’s television programming.

Having watched countless hours of Mister Rogers’ programming myself and being a lifelong fan of both the show and the man, my hunch is that those emotional intelligence skills were simply a part of who he was. And thanks to the funding for PBS that he helped procure, his “meaningful expressions of care” helped millions of kids gain greater emotional intelligence themselves.

Just a wonderful, decent, delightful man who loved children just exactly the way they are. What a gift he was to us all.