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While we only need to turn on a TV or hop onto Twitter to see the devastation Vladimir Putin is causing in Ukraine, it can be easy to forget that Russian citizens don’t necessarily have that kind of freedom. For most people, their news comes via state-run media outlets—meaning that Putin and his Kremlin cronies are the ones creating the narrative. While their increasingly unhinged president continues to wage war with Ukraine, most Russians aren’t seeing the devastation he is creating AND they’re being fed lies about the reasons their friends and family members are being sent off to die in a perhaps unwinnable war. To get any sort of anti-Putin sentiment out into the world, protestors have had to get creative. One brilliant way they’ve done that: Leaving five-star restaurant reviews that are all about Russia’s tyrannical leader.

As The Daily Beast reports, many of Russia’s most popular bars and restaurants have been hit with a wave of five-star reviews via Google and other review sites, in which the “diners” in question skip the appetizer completely and go straight to the main course by sharing the real news of the deadly attacks Putin is masterminding against neighboring Ukraine. If you’re wondering what the specialty is at Moscow hotspot Romantic, for example, The Daily Beast notes you’ll find that “5,800 Russian Soldiers died today, 4,500 yesterday. Stop your aggression, don’t let your kids suffer, if you go to war you will not come back.” (According to some media outlets, Russian mothers are claiming their sons were tricked into military service and didn’t know they were going to war.)

While word of the tactic has spread on social media, and people have encouraged others around the world to let Russia’s citizens know what is really happening, some platforms have caught onto the trend—and are flagging the “reviews.”

Whether via a glowing review of Moscow’s swankiest restaurant or other means, the message is getting through—as evidenced by the number of Russian citizens seen risking their own lives to protest their tyrannical leader. On Sunday, according to Reuters, Russian police arrested more than 2,000 protestors in 48 cities across the country for speaking out publicly against Putin.

(Via The Daily Beast)

Fame is a double-edged sword. Having your work appreciated and loved by millions of people around the world has to be a special feeling, but having that level of notoriety can change your relationship with the world and not always for the better. That’s something Billie Eilish has experienced first-hand, and she actually remembers the moment she got too famous to feel comfortable going out in public.

In a new V Magazine feature, Eilish discusses going to therapy in 2020 and reflecting on her life. During the process, Eilish pin-pointed the moment she stopped feeling comfortable out in public due to her fame. It happened when she was 16 years old, going ice skating with a friend in Los Angeles after touring for three months. She noted of the experience:

“It was a nightmare and it scared the living hell out of me, because I was just turned into this prop. I’ve never been so scared. It was like, a huge stampede… in those three months, I’d gotten bigger, but I didn’t know it until I was in that situation. From that day on, I didn’t go anywhere. I didn’t do anything. I was so flipped out by what had happened and how powerless I felt. And I didn’t have security because I didn’t have the money for it. I was the level of fame that needs security, but also the level of fame where you don’t really have the resources.”

Read the full feature here.

From 2008 to 2019, the Marvel Cinematic Universe revolved around Robert Downey Jr. Iron Man kicked off the MCU, Tony Stark was the unofficial leader of the Avengers, and even after Tony was killed in Avengers: Endgame (spoiler?), so much of Spider-Man: Far From Home felt like it was all the characters asking, “Where’s Iron Man?”

But now that RDJ has moved on to making Dolittle 2, or whatever, Benedict Cumberbatch has become the new “anchor” of the MCU.

That’s according to Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige, who gave a speech at Cumberbatch’s Hollywood Walk of Fame ceremony on Tuesday. “I remember our very first meeting was set up as a general, and we wanted to pitch him this great character,” he said, “and before we could, he said, ‘So tell me about Doctor Strange,’ because you knew. Because somewhere you knew what this could be and you’ve always seen the tremendous potential in this character. Because of that, you’ve become the anchor of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the only actor capable of guiding us through the madness of the Multiverse.” He also congratulated Cumberbatch on appearing in “a historic three of the top six films of all time,” those being Avengers: Endgame, Avengers: Infinity War, and Spider-Man: No Way Home.

The big difference between Downey and Cumberbatch is that while the former basically only appeared in Marvel movies for a decade, give or take a random The Judge or Sherlock Holmes sequel, Cumberbatch continues to star in smaller budget films, like The Electrical Life of Louis Wain and The Power of the Dog, which earned him his first Oscar nomination. His next two movies are Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar, written and directed by Wes Anderson.

(Via ScreenRant)

Now in its second year, Day In Day Out festival is coming back to Seattle from August 12th to 14th with a loaded lineup. The National, Mitski, and Mac DeMarco (playing songs that celebrate the 10th anniversary of his albums Rock And Roll Night Club and 2) are the top of the bill of the fest, which takes place at the Fisher Pavilion in the Seattle Center.

Day In And Day Out is actually produced by Daydream State, the same folks who put on the Seattle favorite Capitol Hill Block Party, and this represents the blossoming of their younger festival property. Considering Daydream State is also behind the local indie venue staple Neumo’s, they know a thing or two about today’s best indie acts and the Day In Day Out lineup reflects that.

Along with the headliners, punk-rock band Turnstile and the very busy Japanese Breakfast will also be performing within a stone’s throw of the iconic Space Needle. Joining them on the bill are Animal Collective, Jpegmafia, Spoccer Mommy, Jamila Woods, Hurray For The Riff Raff, and more. The Seattle artist contingent at the festival will be represented by Shabazz Palaces, La Luz, and a slew of DJ sets throughout the day by locals like Tacocat, Tres Leches, and Emerald City Soul Club.

Tickets for Day In Day Out go on sale 3/4 at 10 a.m. PT here. Check out the full lineup above.

The Los Angeles Lakers just endured a disastrous weekend, first losing to the rival L.A. Clippers before a blowout defeat at the hands of the New Orleans Pelicans on Sunday. The latter result was borderline embarrassing for the Lakers, headlined by a memorable De’Andre Jordan pass, and Los Angeles was 1-5 in the last six games before taking on the Dallas Mavericks in a nationally televised clash on Tuesday. Making things worse, the Lakers allowed 71 points in the first half against the Mavericks, falling behind by 15 points, and that opened the door for some interesting comments by Shaquille O’Neal on TNT’s halftime programming.

“When you’re a Laker, and you’re a big name player, and you’re playing in L.A., all opponents, I don’t care who they are, they’re going to be coming into L.A. and they’re going to be playing above their heads,” said Shaq. “And you can never make an excuse for lack of effort.”

Later, Shaq used the word he said didn’t want to use.

“You’ve gotta at least put more effort into it,” he said. “I don’t mind losing, but when you don’t have a lot of effort, it shows that, I hate to use this word, it looks like they’re quitting.”

There were enough hedges in here for Shaq to have plausible deniability in the event that the Lakers awaken, but his frustration was also palpable. As a former Laker and a champion while wearing that jersey, Shaq does bring a special credibility to the discussion and, after another maddening half of basketball, he at least thought aloud that his former squad could be letting go of the proverbial rope.

It’s been nearly two years since the nation’s movie theaters lost their two most valued assets: movies and moviegoers. The pandemic all but emptied the country’s multiplexes, and they still haven’t gotten back in step. A movie about not one but three web-slingers aside, every would-be blockbuster has either dramatically underperformed or outright bombed. The long-delayed The Batman may be another Spider-Man: No Way Home, box office-wise, but just in case it isn’t, one major theater chain seems to be taking some precautions.

As per Entertainment Weekly, AMC Theatres, the nation’s biggest chain, is experimenting with what is called “variable pricing.” That involves charging different prices for different films, depending on the demand. In this case, AMC will force adults (not children) an extra $1.50 to watch Robert Pattinson battle gritty versions of The Penguin and The Riddler.

This is far from unprecedented. As AMC CEO Adam Aron pointed out during an earnings call, the chain has been doing it for years in other countries. “Indeed, in Europe, we charge a premium for the best seats in the house,” he said, “as do just about all other sellers of tickets in other industries — think sports events, concerts, and live theater, for example.”

In fact, some chains have already started charging more for weekend screenings. Doing it for all screenings of what will surely be a ridiculous money-gobbler, even at three hours plus ads and previews, was for them a no-brainer. (Of course, you can avoid paying ever-so-slightly more by being an AMC Stubs member and making The Batman one of your month’s three complimentary movies.)

Does this mean movies — long the least pricey of public entertainment options, providing relatively cheap dates and inexpensive family nights-out lo these last many decades — could be edging ever closer to a more elitist mindset, like sporting events and the finer arts? Maybe, but not quite yet.

(Via EW)

It’s been almost four months since Young Dolph was tragically shot and killed in his hometown of Memphis. In the months that have followed, fans of Dolph honored him in many ways. One of those includes the creation of a memorial at the shooting site, near one of the city’s businesses. The memorial was constructed shortly after Dolph’s and was taken care of by a few citizens in Memphis. One of those individuals was Jeremiah Taylor, who was unfortunately shot and killed according to a recent report.

Memphis’ Fox13 said Taylor was reportedly found dead last week on the city’s Getwell Road. Memphis Police are currently looking for suspects in the shooting. “Jeremiah was a great person,” said friend Frank Gottie, who viewed Taylor as a brother. “He was so creative. He was so on point. He was helpful, he would help anybody.”

“I want people around the world to know we care about Dolph,” Taylor had said during an interview with ABC 24. “… The love he had with people. A lot of people are realizing and now seeing the person that he always was. Taking care of his community, being a philanthropist, and really promoting financial independence. [It’s] a moral that he taught.”

Back in 2009, much ado was made when Joe Wilson, Republican representative from South Carolina, heckled then-president Barack Obama during a joint session of Congress, shouting, “You lie!” during one of his claims. Wilson received bipartisan condemnation. He quickly atoned. Obama accepted it, saying, “He apologized quickly and without equivocation and I’m appreciative of that.”

Jump 13 years and incivility — and a lack of any apology, ever — is the norm in Congress. When President Joe Biden delivered his first State of the Union, on Tuesday night, he was met with not only House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy checking his phone. Biden also received loud interruptions from the expected suspects: Marjorie Taylor Greene and Lauren Boebert, the latter who actually heckled him while he was talking about his dead son Beau — not unlike what Trump did back in 2020.

Boebert and Greene kicked things off right away, defiantly turning their backs as Biden and team entered the House chamber and tooling around on their phones.

Around the halfway mark of Biden’s hour-long address, the two were identified as the lawmakers starting a failed group chant of “Build the wall” from within the chamber.

Boebert repeated that one on Twitter during the speech.

But that was nothing compared to what happened later during Biden’s address. He was talking about soldiers who were killed by cancer. At that point, a voice quickly identified as Boebert’s was heard shouting about “13” soldiers, a reference to the soldiers killed during the evacuation of Afghanistan. As it happened, Biden had been right on the verge of mentioning his son Beau, whose cancer may have been caused during his service in the Iraq War. Boebert was promptly booed.

Boebert later admitted to the heckle, saying that when Biden mentioned “flag-draped coffins,” she “couldn’t stay silent.”

But to everyone else, it was even more disrespectful than she intended it to be.

Both Boebert and Greene have been in rare form lately. Boebert recently said America should be “liberated” like Ukraine, prompting furrowed brows. Greene, meanwhile, actually spoke at a white nationalist rally, prompting little pushback from House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy. They are indeed quite the pair.

Joe Wilson, meanwhile, is still in Congress. It’s unclear whether or not he attended Biden’s first State of the Union, but if he did he kept quiet.

Festival season is just around the corner and with that comes the unveiling of various big name lineups. Coachella is set to be led by Kanye West, Billie Eilish, and Harry Styles while Kid Cudi, Halsey, and J. Cole lead the way for this year’s Governors Ball. A new announcement reveals that Coachella won’t be the only festival Kanye headlines this year. Rolling Loud just unveiled the lineup for their Miami festival and it’s led by not only Kanye, but also Kendrick Lamar, and Future.

All three artists at the forefront of this year’s Rolling Loud are expected to release albums at some point this year. Kanye is continuing work on Donda 2; he recently released an unfinished version of it. Meanwhile Kendrick and Future are completing their next works, which remain untitled and without a release date. Kendrick’s upcoming fifth album will be his last with Top Dawg Entertainment, a label he’s called home since 2004.

Other names that will make an appearance at this year’s Rolling Loud include Playboi Carti, Lil Durk, Don Toliver, 2 Chainz, Lil Uzi Vert, Gunna, Gucci Mane, Lil Tjay, Lil Baby, Kodak Black, Baby Keem, Trippie Redd, Moneybagg Yo, Saweetie, City Girls, Latto, and many more.

Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Every now and then American progressives and John Bolton find themselves in agreement. After all, they have one thing in common: Neither thinks Donald Trump was a terribly good president. Bolton should know: He worked for him. From 2018 to 2019, he was the former president’s National Security Advisor, and the two did not end on amicable terms. One book claims Trump wished Bolton, who’d previously worked for Reagan and both Bushes, would catch COVID and die.

Bolton has long trashed Trump right back, and he’s still at it. On Tuesday, Bolton — a noted hawk who’s repeatedly advised presidents to take aggressive stances — went on Newsmax, the virulently pro-Trump news network. And Bolton absolutely couldn’t stomach the host making dubious claims about the ex-president’s “pretty tough” stance on Russia. Among those was that Trump sanctioned Nord Stream 2, which runs from Russia to Germany.

Not so, said Bolton, who informed Newsmax host Rob Schmitt that “We didn’t sanction Nord Stream 2.” He added, “We should have … We should have brought the project to an end.”

Of the sanctions the Trump administration did impose on Russia, Bolton said that “in almost every case, the sanctions were imposed with Trump complaining about it and saying we were being too hard.”

Bolton then described Trump’s ignorance of the world stage. “The fact is that he barely knew where Ukraine was,” Bolton said. “He once asked John Kelly, his second chief of staff, if Finland were a part of Russia. It’s just not accurate to say that Trump’s behavior somehow deterred the Russians.”

He also said Trump “did not” handle Russia better than his successor, Joe Biden.

“I don’t think he understood what he was doing,” Bolton said. “This is not really a policy argument. This is about Trump’s lack of any significant historical knowledge, his lack of strategic thinking, and frankly his lack of thinking about pretty much anything that didn’t have to do with Donald Trump.”

Bolton also asserted that Trump only cared about Ukraine in 2019 because “he wanted that DNC server” and that “he wanted to apply pressure for his own political purposes.” He concluded that “Trump was not fit to be president. He was not competent to be president.”

Schmitt shot back, saying, “You worked for him, though.” That wasn’t quite the own he perhaps thought it was, Bolton informing him that his main reason for taking the job was “to help protect American national security.”

Since Russian president Vladimir Putin ordered forces to invade Ukraine, Trump and his cheerleaders have repeatedly claimed none of this would have happened were Trump still in the White House. Then again, Trump, like Tucker Carlson, has also gushed about Putin’s actions, calling them “savvy” and “genius.” Others have argued otherwise, including those, like Bolton, who know him all too well.

(Via Insider)